Ya Just Gotta Have a Little Faith
by vampireXgirl13X
Summary: Skye Ryuuta Okumura was a bit of a trouble-maker . . . yet not. And when she supposedly 'dies', she wakes up and sees a sight that had her questioning her sanity. Because Jack Frost couldn't be real; he was only a movie character & an urban legend! Just what trouble has she managed to get in NOW? - JackxOC Rated T for language & some slight lime-ish stuff (*ON HIATUS FOR NOW*)
1. Prelude

Prelude

"There she goes, blabbering on about 'rights'," sighed a boy as he watched the object of his sentence talking to their history teacher out in the hall. Well, they were arguing, to be more accurate.

"Look, if I want to do my report on the history of Druidism, then I don't see the problem!" said the girl.

"Skye, the rules of the assignment state that it must be a legitimate religion," the teacher sighed.

She seemed to puff up in rage. "Druidism IS a legitimate religion; one that is still practiced in the UK, thank you very much. Just because it isn't a part of Christianity or any major Eastern religions does not make it non-legit."

"This is America, and I have the freedom to do what I please within boundaries of the law," she said firmly. "I might be 16, but I'm not stupid. The Constitution states freedom of expression, and I'm exercising that right. That includes being able to do this assignment on Druidism."

The teacher threw his hands up in the air. "I give up on you, Skye Okumura . . . Fine, do the report on what you will. But don't expect a passing grade."

Her eyes narrowed. "Then you can expect my dad on the phone with you when I get my report back."

And with that, she went back inside the classroom, grabbed her mp3 player, her binder, and her bag, then went up to the teacher.

"I assume that I am going to get a detention yet again for speaking my mind, so I'll save you the trouble of sending me off and just walk there myself. I practically have a permanent pass there, anyways."

Her classmates had to admire her guts, even if they did think her foolish. She was always finding some way to get into trouble; well, trouble by the teachers' standards. To everyone else, she actually seemed like a voice of reason. Everything she did to get in 'trouble' made sense to them.

They watched as she walked out of the room with her head held high, her form emanating pride and strength as she walked, yet again, to the detention room.

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Kinda, short, I know, but it's a prelude. Can't expect them to be overly long, can ya? *chuckle* So yup, this is my new story. Sorry if those who are following expected me to have another chappie of Et Eques Reginae up; my muse for that story has gone on vacation, and then the one for this story took up residence in my brain.

Gomenasai, mina-san! (^_^')

But I hope y'all will enjoy this story, too! ^w^


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I walked down the hall, my dark orchid pigtails swinging slightly. I grumbled a bit.

"Damn ignorant bastard," I muttered. "How dare he discredit the religion of my mother's people?!"

The thought of my mother had me pausing, then I shook my head and continued with my gait. I let out a breath and put my headphones on, cranking up my mp3. The Celtic Woman song that poured out calmed me down, but also made me a little bit more melancholy.

"Miss you, Oka-san," I murmured.

I finally made my way to the detention room, and the teacher looked up at my entrance. She sighed and set down the magazine she'd been reading.

"What'd you do now?" she asked, raising a brow.

I took one headphone off and smirked a little. "Harisson thought that Druidism wasn't a 'legitimate' religion for me to do my report on, so I told him he was wrong and we got into a little . . . disagreement, I believe is the best way to describe it."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna have to make you a special desk, just for you, and put your name on the back of it. You come here often enough. This is the second time this week, Skye."

I shrugged and sat in the desk right in front of her. "Sorry, Miss Olson. I . . . I just hate it when people don't get shit right. I mean, honestly, he literally just brushed it off like it wasn't even important! It is, dammit! Druidic art and practices are found in modern-day Christianity. Why doesn't anybody watch the History Channel?"

She chuckled and picked her magazine back up. Her eyes trailed to my left thigh and the markings that were showing beyond the hem of my skirt. "You got another tattoo, I see."

I smiled brightly and nodded. "Mhm! A tribal dragon, this time. It goes well with the Celtic-style cross on my upper left arm, right?" I asked.

She laughed a little. "Yes, I'll admit that. But it kinda clashes with the Japanese one you have going down your right arm, though."

I shrugged and adjusted my black biker gloves. "Eh, can't help it. I love my dragons, in all forms. After all, my middle name is Ryuuta. The root word is 'dragon' in dad's language."

She shook her head. "I still don't understand how you convinced your father to let you get all the tattoos you have."

I smiled. "Mom loved her tattoos, so I just had to remind him of that fact. As long as he likes the design I have in mind, he'll sign the papers that give his permission to the tattoo artists."

See, this was why I actually liked detention. As long as there were no other students in there, Miss Olson and I were pretty tight. It wasn't really a punishment for me to be here. Mainly because Miss Olson and my mom had been classmates. But the other teachers don't know that, hehe.

She looked over her magazine. "So, walking the kids to kendo again?"

I smiled warmly. "Yeah. And today will be Luka's first day, too! Can't believe my little sister is already at the age to start kendo."

"She's what, seven now?" she inquired, turning the page of her magazine.

"Yup. Might be a bit of a brat, but she's my brat," I said proudly.

She chuckled. "Hey, by the way, there's a new movie playing at Dreamscape; maybe you should take all your kendo kids to go and see it. You'd enjoy it, too."

I furrowed my brow and put away my mp3 so I could give her my full attention. "Oh? What movie is it?"

"Rise of the Guardians; you've seen the preview on TV, right?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, that one," I said. "Luka's been bugging me about it . . . Maybe I'll take her and the others. It doesn't look half bad. I'll have to talk with the other kids' parents, though. I don't think I'll have problems; they like me."

She feigned shock. "Adults? Who like you? Holy damn, thank god I'm sitting . . ."

I lightly tossed a paper ball at her. "Be nice; some adults actually like me, yes. You're one of them, in case you forgot."

She tilted her head and looked at me curiously. "I am? Really?"

I laughed and ran my fingers through my emo bangs. "Okay, now you're really hurting my tender heart, Olson. Damn, I never knew you hated me so much."

She giggled and reached forward to pat my head. "Eh, you're not so bad, kiddo."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I walked along the sidewalk, a trail of seven to ten year olds following behind me like baby ducks.

"Come on, you lot, gotta power up this hill," I said with a smile. "It's a good excercise before training."

They all groaned and I chuckled. "Oh, come on guys. Imagine it like . . . Oh! I know!" I said, turning to face them with a wide smile. "Imagine like you guys are explorers, searching through a pyramid. But to get to the very top, you gotta climb and climb."

"What's at the top, Nee-san?" asked Luka, her eyes wide.

"I'll tell you what's at the top: they used to put a pure gold cap on the very top," I whispered conspiratorily.

"And we gotta get to it before the bad tomb raiders do! They'll steal it and sell it for their own gain if we don't protect it!"

At this, the kids picked up the pace, even going so far as to assign climbing duties and such to each other. I grinned and giggled. Kids were such a joy to be around. They never ceased to amaze me.

Soon, we were at the kendo school at the top of the hill. They all cheered that they'd made it here before the tomb raiders, and I was pulled by one of the ten year olds into a spin.

"We did it, Ryuu!" he said, giving me a toothy grin. I saw a tooth missing that wasn't yesterday, so I stopped.

"Hey, Laurence, did you lose a tooth?" I asked with a smile.

He nodded. "Yeah! And the Tooth Fairy left me a fifty cent coin for it!"

"Wow! Really? I have a bone to pick with her, then, cuz all I ever got were quarters," I said, smirking. "You lucky duck!"

He giggled and then Hatsuharu-sensei called them inside. they ran in, and I gave Luka a thumbs up and a hug before she joined the others. I trailed behind them and met Sensei at the door.

He gave me a smirk. "Have fun bringing them?"

I laughed. "Don't I always, Sensei? Them kids are amazing fun to be around. Oh, speaking of fun," I said, getting serious, "I was wondering if, you know, to celebrate the new training year, we would take them out on a little field trip to see the new movie Rise of the Guardians. You know, something to get them excited for the new year of training."

He thought about it, running a hand through his black and white hair. "Well . . ."

At his hesitation, I looked at him earnestly. "Please? It'll be really good for them. If I have to I'll badger Oto-san for my allowance early so I can pay for 'em all myself."

He sighed, then smiled. "Alright. But let me get the permission slips done while you call your father."

"YAY!" I squealed, jumping up and down. I gave him a quick hug, then bowed.

"Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita!" I said, looking up at him happily.

I went outside the dojo and called my dad up. He was home by now, for sure.

"Yes, Skye?" he answered.

"Ne, Oto-san, may I have my allowance early? I want to take all my kendo kids out to go see Rise of the Guardians as a special treat for them to kick off the new training year," I explained.

He seemed surprised, given how quiet he was. "You want to use your allowance for what?"

I rolled my eyes. "To give my kendo kids a treat. They deserve it. and you know that Luka's been wanting to go and see it. It'll kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."

". . . Alright. But keep in mind it's only because you're going to use it on the children that I am doing this."

I squealed, then calmed down. "Thank you, Oto-san! I'll see you when Luka and I get home, alright?"

"Yes yes. Love you, sukoshi ryū," he said; I could tell he was smiling.

"Love you, too, Oto-san. Buh-bye."

~ le time skip ~

I smiled as I walked Luka home from the dojo. She was extremely excited for the trip to the movie theatre.

"We're gonna go see Jack Frost!" she cheered, skipping ahead of me.

I chuckled. "Yes, Luka, we're going to go see Jack Frost. But didn't you know," I said, "that Jack Frost is actually _real?_ He helps bring winter, you know. He makes the air cold so that the leaves change colors."

Her eyes got wide. "Woooow . . ."

"Yeah, man. It's miracles."

When we got home, I opened the door and took off my shoes, Luka following suit.

"Okairi," said dad, coming from the kitchen. I chuckled at the sight of my severe-looking, Japanese father wearing one of mom's old butterfly aprons.

"Th-thanks," I got out between my giggles.

Luka laughed. "Oto-san looks funny!"

He rolled his eyes and ruffled her auburn hair. "Yes, yes, I know. But it was the only one that wasn't dirty . . ."

I grinned and hugged him. "Well, I happen to think that violet is _definitely_ your color, Oto-san," I teased.

He chuckled and then waited till Luka went to her room to look at me levelly. "I got a call from your history teacher."

I stiffened and stood straighter. "Well then. I'm guessing you know his side of the story, right?"

"Yes; he said you were being stubborn about doing your paper on a illegitimate religion?"

I strode into the kitchen and grabbed a Macintosh apple. "Says him; Druidism is a legit religion an you know it, Oto-san. He brushed it off like it was nothing. And that also threatens my rights as an American; I should be allowed to do my report on whatever religion I wish. He never said it had to be a so-called 'legitimate' religion; he just said it had to be on the history of _A_ religion."

Dad sighed and went back to the stir fry he was making. "I understand where you're coming from . . . But Skye, really, this is ridiculous. You seem to spend more time in detention than in class."

"Hey, I have the highest marks in each of my classes," I said. "I might not be in class as much as the others, but I sure as hell study more than they do."

He quirked a half-smile. "Well, yes, there's that. But still, all this detention time won't look good to colleges."

"Oto-san, I thought I told you that I wasn't planning on going to college yet," I sighed. "I want to wait until I'm older and can afford it better. Besides, I want to get all my so-called 'party years' and the ups and downs that go with them out of the way before I add the stress of college on top of that."

"Colleges and universities will still see your record, Skye," he said calmly. "It doesn't look good. You've already been in detention close to 40 times this year . . . and it's only November!"

I shrugged. "Hey, not my fault that them teachers are ignorant and so high and mighty that they think that they can just tell everyone what to do, even if it's unreasonable. And seriously, Oto-san, they don't even seem to care about the people that NEED to be cared about."

"Like, for instance, that freshmen who's trans? She got made of so badly that she had a panic attack in the middle of gym class, and the gym teacher just made it worse by telling her to 'suck it up'!" I seethed. "The very NERVE! Not my fault that me telling Mrs. Hynes off, and then proceeding to escort the poor traumatized girl to the guidance counselor, got me landed in detention. Seriously, the bitch deserved every word I said to her."

He whacked my cheek lightly with a wooden spoon. "Language, Skye! And yes, I understand that case, but-"

"Oto-san, no more buts," I said. "Mum always taught me to stand up for what I believed in and for others, and to put people in their place when they do something wrong. It's not my fault that the ones who seem to do shit wrong are always teachers and/or snobs who can't learn to shut up."

I gave him an imploring gaze. "Oto-san, I know you see stuff like that happen everywhere, And honestly, it's about damn time at least _someone_ took a stand and tried to fight it. And if I end up being the only one my age with a good enough head on their shoulders, and the guts, to do so, then so be it."

He sighed and put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a wistful half-smile. "You're just like your mother. Siobhan thought that way, too. I . . . *sigh* I guess I can't be that hard on you. You're only following what you believe is right. But please, just try not to do it as often . . . ? I'm pretty sure your teachers and I are this close to being on a first-name basis with how much they call."

I let out a short laugh and kissed his cheek. "Yeah yeah yeah, alright, I'll try. Only cuz I don't need to overhear you talking to my teachers like you lot are friends or something."

I went off to my room to go listen to music, and he called after me, "Dinner's in 30, okay?"

"Got it, Oto-san!" I called back over my shoulder.

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Skye is half Japanese, half Scottish, in case any a y'all were wondering. Explains her temper *giggle*


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At the end of the week, I was proud to say that I hadn't gone to detention at all after that incident with Mr. Harisson. I had written and turned in my paper before anyone else, and I was currently sitting next to Hatsuharu-sensei in the dojo's van, bringing the kids to Dreamscape.

I grinned. "This is exciting! Luka's been giddy for the past three days about the trip."

"I can well imagine; the others have been chattering about it as well," he said, parking the van. He turned to look back at everyone. "Okay, now stick with Skye and I when we go inside; it looks pretty busy in there. Stay in line, alright?"

They nodded quickly, grinning and bouncing in their seats. I chuckled and got out, opening the door for them.

"Okay, you lot, time to get in line. Follow me, a'right?" I said.

"Yes, Ryuu!" they said.

"Hai, Nee-san!" said Luka.

I led them all inside, while Sensei took up the end and made sure they didn't stray. I went up to the ticket booth.

"Two adults and seven children tickets for Rise of the Guardians, please," I said, handing the ticket master the money.

"Alrighty, then," she said. She handed me the tickets and I distributed them to everyone before Sensei went over to grab snacks and drinks for everyone.

"Let's go wait in the theatre for Sensei," I said, leading them.

We went in and sat, and about 7 minutes later, Hatsuharu-sensei came back with his arms full. I grabbed a few items before they could fall and he smiled in thanks. I set them on the table we sat at, and then the lights dimmed.

The movie was about to begin.

~ le time skip ~

I am not ashamed to admit that I was on the edge of my seat during the whole thing. The way everything went . . . It was far too awesome! When it was over, I felt sad. As did the others (even though Sensei would deny the fact hehe).

We went back out to the van, and Luka yawned a little. I chuckled.

"Tired, short stuff?"

"A little," she said drowsily. She looked up at me with a smile. "Nee-chan, is Jack Frost really real?"

I smiled. "You bet he is; you just gotta have faith and believe, hon."

She giggled and we piled into the van. Sensei dropped each kid off at their house, and then it was only me and Luka left.

He dropped us off last, and gave us each a smile before we got out.

"I'll see you both on Tuesday, girls. Have a good night," he said.

"See ya, Sensei," I said, hopping out.

"Bye bye!" called Luka as we walked to the door. She gave him a wave, which he returned, before driving off.

We went inside and saw dad at his laptop. Since it was getting close to bedtime, I had Luka hug and kiss him goodnight before I helped her get ready for bed and tucked in.

I kissed her forehead and then she looked up at me with wide, blue eyes that were so much like mom's. "Nee-chan, do you think that Jack Frost would come and visit _me_ like he does with Jamie?" she asked, her voice filled with awe.

I chuckled. "I'm not sure, Luka. You never know. Now, go to sleep and maybe you'll dream about him."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, Nee-chan. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi, Luka," I said, kissing her forehead once more.

I went to my room, which was next to her's, and then sat on my window seat, looking up at the full moon.

"Huh . . . Man in the Moon, hm?" I murmured. "That would be cool."

I put my headphones on and jammed out to my music, all the while star-gazing. Then, I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and I turned to see a shocking sight.

"Luka! What are you doing?!"

She turned to me in surprise, her legs dangling out of her window. "Sitting and looking at the moon," she said simply.

"Luka, get back in bed now!" I said, a little panicked. "You could fall!"

"No I won't, Nee-chan," she said, swinging her legs a little harder. However, her eyes went wide when she swung them too hard and she slipped off her window sill, hanging onto it and letting out a scream of shock and fear.

"Luka!"

I got up and ran next door to her room, getting on top of her toy box in front of her window. "Luka, grab my hand!" I said, holding one out to her.

"B-but I'll f-fall!" she stuttered, her face so pale her freckles stood out more.

I used my other hand to open her window doors wider so I could make sure she had enough room to get back in, plastering a reassuring smile on my face. "Luka, have a little faith in your Nee-chan. I won't let you fall."

She gulped and nodded quickly. She took my hand, and I grunted, trying to lift her up.

"Damn, Luka, have you been sneaking seconds of Oto-san's cake?" I asked as I tried to pull her up.

"M-maybe!" she said.

Her hand slipped slightly in mine, and I panicked. I stood, bracing my foot on the edge of the window sill to have more leverage.

"Okay, Luka, Nee-chan is gonna pull, and when I do, you nee to let go of the window sill, got it?" I said.

She nodded, and slipped a little more. "P-please, h-hurry Nee-chan!"

"On three," I said. "One . . . two . . . THREE!"

I yanked her up, and she went back inside, but putting my foot on the window sill had upset my balance, and I found myself falling instead.

"NEE-CHAN!"

I saw her stricken face as I fell sideways, and I had to feel relieved that she was safe. Then, I landed with a resounding crack.

The last thing I saw was the full moon glowing down at me, and my vision became black.

My name was Skye Ryuuta Okumura, and that was the day I died.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Darkness. That was all there was.

But . . . hold up a second. What was that . . . glow?

I struggled to open my eyes, thinking that the glow was the proverbial 'light' most dead people encounter. Hey . . . at least I'd be with Oka-san again . . .

The next feeling I got was touch. And I immediately regretted it, because it was chilly!

Finally, my eyes opened, and I looked around. I blinked in shock for a few minutes, then slowly sat up.

"Snow . . . ?" I questioned. "What the hell . . . ?"

Then, I looked down at what I was wearing and pokerfaced. "Yup . . . I'm dreaming. That whole thing with Luka falling was just a nightmare, and now I'm dreaming. Yup."

My outfit was part of the reason why I was cold. It was a black, gray, and orchid purple. The skirt was long, yes, but only really covered one of my legs; underneath, there was a pair of black spandex shorts. My top was also quite revealing, but not in the ways you'd expect. It had the structure of a tank top, but was open in a few places, showing off the small tattoo of tribal dragon wings on my collarbone, and part of my European dragon tattoo that was on my stomach.

I wore thigh high gray wool socks, and tall black boots that were kinda like Doc Martens. I was also still wearing my black belt choker, and my mom's old aquamarine necklace. I noticed that I was also wearing my black biker gloves, and still had my mp3 player.

I slowly stood. "Yep . . . I'm dreaming. A very vivid dream, that's for sure . . ."

My legs shook a bit, but I steadied myself on a stick that was standing up in the snow. I looked at it, and my gaze traveled all the way up until my jaw dropped and I skittered back in surprise.

"Ho-ho-holy shit," I stuttered, looking at the shocked, white-haired boy perched on top of the stick . . . or staff, I should say.

~ 3rd P.o.V ~

Jack had watched in amusement as the girl with long, dark orchid hair caught her bearings. He heard her talking to herself, something about this being a dream.

He quietly chuckled to himself. _I wonder what kind of dreams she must have if she thinks this is one._

He flew closer and perched himself on top of his staff to get a better look at her. He took in her outfit and his eyebrows rose.

_Well then . . . it's no wonder she looks cold. The girl barely has anything on . . . Nice tattoos, though . . ._

He was brought out of his reverie as she stood and used his staff to keep her balance. The only one who should be able to touch his staff was him!

He saw her eyes travel up the length of his staff to him, and her round eyes widened in surprise and she skittered back a few steps.

"Ho-ho-holy shit," she said.

_Holy shit is right! How can she see me?!_ he wondered to himself.

"You can see me?" he asked.

She nodded, still shocked. "Uh, yeah, I think the whole backing up and looking like I'm freaking out is a good indicator of that," she said, her tone slightly sarcastic. "God, this is one weird dream . . ."

He raised a brow at her and stepped off his staff to land in front of her. He vaguely noticed that he was a good four inches taller than her.

"This isn't a dream. Now, how can you see me? No one sees me," he said, looking at her closely.

He had to admit, she had nice eyes; well, he could only see one of her eyes, seeing as the other was covered by her long bangs. It was very frosty silver, almost like moonlight.

"Uhm, well, this is my dream, so of course I'd see Jack Frost," she said. "But my dreams have never been this vivid before . . . not to self, never listen to intense music before falling asleep ever again . . ."

He rolled his eyes. "This isn't a dream. What can I do to prove it?"

". . . Okay, this might bite me in the ass later, but the only thing I can think of is for you to either punch or slap me," she said.

He gaped. "No way! I'm not hitting a girl!"

She looked at him firmly. "Jackson Frost, either hit me or think of something yourself."

He searched his mind for something, and then he smirked. "Alright. But don't dodge it."

"Wha-"

WHAP!

She shook her head to get the remains of the snowball off of her face, and she shivered a little. Once she had it all off, her visible eye went wide.

"Shit . . ohmygod I'm not dreaming . . . Fuuuuuuck . . . This is bad, this is very VERY bad . . . How am I alive?!"

And with that, she rushed off into the forest. He followed her, a little concerned about her.

She ended up heading right into town, and she was looking around at everyone with her brow furrowed.

"Sorry, uhm, could you tell me where I am?" she asked one person.

They walked by as if they didn't hear her. She scoffed and stood straighter. "How rude . . ."

_Oh no_, thought Jack, his eyes going wide. _This is just like . . . _

She went in front of another person to ask the same question, but stood in shock as they went right through her.

Her jaw dropped, and she couldn't move. Her thoughts her all over the place as she stood there. Another person passed through part of her, and Jack could see tears form in her visible eye.

With that, she slowly turned around to find Jack standing a few feet away from her, his face a mask of empathy.

She sank to her knees and began sobbing. Jack wordlessly knelt down in front of her and hugged her, knowing the pain and emptiness of not being seen by anyone.

"It's alright," he murmured, rubbing her back reassuringly.

She shook with her sobs, and then she stopped. She leaned back from him and wiped at her face.

"G-god, this is embarrassing," she mumbled. He quirked a small smile, and she hesitantly returned it.

He stood up and held out a hand to her. "What's your name?"

She took his cold hand and stood. "Skye. Skye Ryuuta Okumura."

~ le time skip & Skye P.o.V ~

"Come on, Skye!"

"Hold your horses, Snowcone! Some of use aren't used to flying!" I called back, wobbling in midair.

It's been two weeks since I awoke as a spirit in this different world. I didn't know how I got there, and when I asked the Man in the Moon, all I got was silence.

Now I knew how Jack felt.

I discovered a few things about what spirit abilities I had. For one, my music seemed to be special. When I would sing along to it, it seemed to be able to change a person's mood, usually by making them happier or more upset. It depended on the song. And they didn't even have to see me to be affected by it!

The flying bit was an accident on Jack's part. We were riding the winds in Austria when he got startled by a plane and I'd slipped out of his hold. I ended up panicking and . . . well, I'm not exactly sure how, but I think my adrenaline got the best of me and kick-started by flying abilities, because instead of falling to my double-death, I floated a few feet above the ground.

Jack had been so relieved that he sank to the snow and pulled me to him in a hug.

"I am SO SORRY," he'd said over and over.

At the moment, he was flying off to Norway to give them a good old blizzard. Ever since I'd awakened, I'd stuck with Jack. After all, I didn't fancy being alone, and I knew just how alone Jack felt. I needed him even more than he needed me.

Besides, I was a newborn spirit, and he was three centuries old. He had a lot to teach a girl.

He flew up beside me and took my hand. "Alright, alright, I'll help you out," he said with a grin. "You'll be racing me like a pro in no time."

I snorted a laugh and used my free hand to put my headphones on. "Yeah, I know. Now come on. I wanna go make people happy. Heaven knows there are some pretty upset people in the world. I like lifting their spirits and boosting their faith, man."

He laughed as he directed me along the winds. "You know, it's kinda funny. Of all things, I wouldn't have expected that to be your power."

I stuck my tongue out at him and listened to Mayu's version of 'Love and Joy'. "I love music, thank you. I also love them cool sound blasts I can do!"

He nearly fell out of the sky laughing. "Tell me about it! You made an even better avalanche than I could ever achieve!"

I flushed. "That was an accident! And at least it go the old snow out of the way."

"Mhm, keep telling yourself that, Ryuu," he said.

I'd given him permission to use my old nickname, because I missed hearing it. When he heard it, he had to laugh at how it was Japanese for 'dragon'. When I'd told him that I was half Japanese, he actually looked genuinely intrigued.

"Explains the cat-ish eyes," he had said. "They're a pretty nice color, too. Frosty silver."

I had been confused, seeing as my eye color when I'd been alive was an aqua blue. But when he suggested that it might've been just another thing that had changed about me, I took it in stride.

We soon made it to Norway, and as he set up the blizzard, I followed my little sixth sense and found a poor little girl who was crying in her room. The sight nearly broke my heart, and I switched my mp3 to a song that I had a feeling would help her, singing along with it.

"You're not alone; together we stand.  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand.  
When it gets cold, and it feels like the end;  
When there's no place to go, you know I won't give in.  
No, I won't give in~ . . ."

"Keep holding on!  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through.  
Just stay strong;  
Cuz you know I'm here for you,  
I'm here for you.  
There's nothing you can say!  
Nothing you can do!  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth~!  
So keep holding on.  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through."

"So far away, I wish you were here.  
Before it's too late, this could all disappear.  
Before the doors close, and it comes to an end,  
With you by my side, I will fight and defend.  
I'll fight and defend~ . . ."

"Keep holding on!  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through.  
Just stay strong;  
Cuz you know I'm here for you,  
I'm here for you.  
There's nothing you can say!  
Nothing you can do!  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth~!  
So keep holding on.  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through."

"Hear me when I say,  
When I say I believe  
Nothing's gonna change,  
Nothing's gonna change destiny.  
Whatever's meant to be  
Will work out perfectly.  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahhh~!"

"Keep holding on!  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through.  
Just stay strong;  
Cuz you know I'm here for you,  
I'm here for you.  
There's nothing you can say!  
Nothing you can do!  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth~!  
So keep holding on.  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through."

"Keep holding on!  
Keep holding on!"

"There's nothing you can say!  
Nothing you can do!  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth~!  
So keep holding on~ . . .  
Cuz you know we'll make it through,  
We'll make it through~ . . ."

When I'd finished singing, the girl had cheered up considerably, and had a light smile on her face.

"Jeg må ha tro. Troen på at mamma og pappa ikke vil kjempe lenger," she said.

Although I couldn't understand her, I could tell she had found it in herself to stay strong. I smiled softly at her as the wind came to me, along with my very cold and fun-loving friend.

"Come on, Ryuu. Gotta head back to Burgess," he said, smiling. "They're due for a few inches of fluffy goodness. You get your job done?"

I looked back at the little girl. "For the most part, yes. Now, come on. Let's get goin'; wouldn't want them meteorologists to be wrong, now, do we?" I teased as I flew up beside him.

He took my hand and laughed. "Actually, I've done that a few times just to hear the adults get mad at the weathermen."

I chuckled as we flew, earning a smug grin from Jack. And with that, the winds took us back to Burgess, back to Jack's lake.

Over the past two weeks, I'd been trying to build my own kind of shelter where I could rest. I mean, while Jack's lake _was_ nice, it just wasn't suited for me. I'd gotten used to the cold, to the point where it didn't bother me as much anymore. I still enjoyed warmer places, and sneaking into houses for room and board din't seem very polite.

Plus, I was a girl. I NEED access to a bath.

So, on Jack's off-time, he was helping me build my own 'house'. It was pretty much in between two of the trees near Jack's lake, and they were kinda like the 'support beams' of the structure. We'd, uh . . . _borrowed_ the supplies from various home improvement businesses and lumber yards. I felt kinda bad for doing so, but necessity weighed out most of my guilty conscience.

The last thing that was needed was stuff for my makeshift bed, and then I'd be all set. And a real door would have been nice, but the piece of weighed down curtain was actually growing on me.

We landed outside my 'house' and I sighed.

"Another night asleep on a bag stuffed with memory foam," I said. "I can't wait till I can get enough water jugs to fill my barrel with warm water for a bath," I added, my gaze distant.

"You know, I can just crack the ice on the lake and you can get water from there, right?" asked Jack.

I thought for a moment, then I facepalmed. "Of course! I have a better idea, Jacky boy," i said, taking his hand and leading him inside my house.

I brought him to my large lobster pots, and looked at him with a wide smile. "Fill them with fresh snow, please? I can heat them up over the fire, and then yay a hot bath~!" I said, giggling.

He chuckled and playfully yanked on one of my pigtails. "Smart thinking, Skye."

He did as I requested as I lit the fire in my fire pit, which was at the center of my house. The roof had an opening with an elevated cap so the smoke could escape.

"All set, Skye," he said, standing beside me as the fire flared to life. I saw him take a few steps back, to avoid getting overheated from the flame.

I stood and hugged him. "Thanks, Snowcone. I owe ya one. Actually, do you mind doing that when I want to bathe?" I asked, pulling back a bit. "It won't be every day, of course, but at least twice a week . . . ?"

He ruffled my bangs. "Yeah, sure, why not."

I grinned and hugged him tightly once more. "D'aw, thanks, Jacky! Now, scoot out so I can get my bath all set up."

He left and I set to work on getting my first bath that I'd had in a little over two weeks.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Christmas came, and I had realized that I'd arrived pre-movie. As soon as I realized this, I decided to keep my mouth shut about some things. It was a bit of a struggle, but I did it somehow.

But just because I promised not to tell, that didn't mean I wouldn't try to change things for the better.

When I exited my house on Christmas morning, I saw Jack standing in front of it with a hand behind his back as if he was hiding something.

"Jack, what are you hiding?" I asked.

"U-uh, nothing. Nothing at all," he said. He held out a small box to me, looking away. "M-Merry, uh, Christmas."

My jaw dropped. "Jack, you really didn't have to-"

He gave me a smirk. "Oh? Then you don't want it~?" he asked teasingly, about to take his hand back.

I quickly stopped him and rolled my eyes. "Yes, I want it, you jerk," I said with a grin. "It's called I'm saying thank you. I thought I was the only one who was gonna give a gift."

"You got me something?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Like . . . seriously?"

I nodded and laughed at his shocked expression. "But of course! After I open my gift, I'll give you your's, alright?"

He nodded, grinning. I smiled and then began to unwrap my gift. I took the bright blue wrapping paper off and saved it for fire fuel; then I got to a cute little black box. I opened it and my jaw dropped.

"J-Jack . . . i-it's . . . Jack . . ."

He had made me a bracelet, and the large charm on it was an Asian dragon, made of ice. It felt as hard and durable as diamond. Smaller charms surrounded it, and they looked like musical notes. I looked up at him and saw that he had a light blue blush on his cheeks.

"I didn't really know what to give you, and I know you like dragons and music, so . . . Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "The ice won't ever melt, not even when you sit near your fire pit."

I rushed to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Jack. You have no idea how awesome I think it is. Just . . . wow, you have such skill! It's so beautiful!" I crowed, leaning back a bit. "Mind helping me put it on?"

He nodded, and then helped me with the clasp. I looked at my left wrist with a bright smile before looking back at Jack.

"Really, Jack this is just too wonderful. Thank you," I said. "Oh, right, _your_ gift!" I said, snapping my fingers and rushing back inside really quick.

I came out with a slightly larger box than he had, but it was flat-ish. "Go on and open it, Snowcone," I said, giggling as I handed it to him.

He grinned and took off the msuci wrapping paper and then opened the red box. He gaped, then looked at me with wide eyes.

"How did you even _get_ this?" he asked.

I smiled. "All that picking up loose change and loose dollar bills paid off; literally. I got enough money to sneak into Hot Topic at the mall and grab that for you. I left the money and a note on the counter, to be polite, of course."

He once again looked back at the necklace I'd bought him. It was a black leather choker, but it had short, non-threatening spikes going around it with small snowflakes in between each spike. The snowflakes were an opalescent frosty blue, like his eyes.

"This is seriously so cool!" he said, grinning. He then surprised me with a tight hug. "Thanks, Skye! This means a lot to me!"

I hugged him back and chuckled. "You want help putting it on, there, Snowcone?"

He laughed and shook his head, stepping back. "Nah, I got it."

He put it on, then craned his neck to and fro. "Well? How's it look?"

I grinned. "You look like a badass! I _knew_ it would be perfect for you!"

"Alright, alright, stop with the flattery," he said, his cheeks turning light blue. "Let's go start a snowball fight!"

"Okay! But I get to pick where, this time," I said, slipping my hair out of their pigtails so it would flow freely.

"Alright, Ryuu, where do you want to go?" he asked, slipping an arm around my shoulders.

"Hmm . . . someplace I haven't been yet . . . Oh! What about Liechtenstein? It's such a cute little country~!" I cooed.

He rolled his eyes but smiled. "Alright, Ryuu. I'll lead the way."

~ le time skip ~

As we darted in between the playing children throwing snowballs at each other, I had to giggle at some poor kid who'd gotten a bunch of snow dumped on him.

However, there was one kid there who was being rather quiet. He seemed to be stockpiling snowballs, and he guarded them fiercely. Then, when he threw one, it hit a little girl in the cheek and she began crying.

I floated over to her quickly, looking over the damage. I then looked at the snowball, then became enraged.

"Jack, he put rocks in the center of them!" I called.

"What?!"

I turned and saw a small whirlwind around him. After humming a quick lullaby to ease the girl's pain, I got up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me handle this. Keep the other children distracted," I murmured. "Calm down; you're starting a small blizzard."

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright."

He went and started up another snowball fight by throwing one himself; it seemed to glow with a light blue light, and had a weird energy coming from it.

I turned my attention back to the bully and saw him hiding behind a bench, laughing to himself. My eyebrow twitched, and I put my mp3 to a song that would definitely put him in his place and I sang.

"You, with your words like knives  
And swords and weapons that you use against me.  
You have knocked me off my feet again;  
Got me feeling like I'm nothing.  
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard  
Calling me out when I'm wounded.  
You, picking on the weaker man."

"You can take me down with just one single blow;  
But you don't know, what you don't know . . ."

"Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Why you gotta be so mean?"

"You, with your switching sides  
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation.  
You have pointed out my flaws again;  
As if I don't already see them.  
I walk with my head down  
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you.  
I just wanna feel okay again . . ."

"I bet you got pushed around;  
Somebody made you cold.  
But the cycle ends right now  
'Cause you can't lead me down that road;  
And you don't know, what you don't know . . ."

"Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Why you gotta be so mean?"

"And I can see you years from now in a bar,  
Talking over a football game,  
With that same big loud opinion  
But nobody's listening.  
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things . . .  
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing,  
But all you are is mean."

"All you are is mean;  
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life  
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean."

"But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah!  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Why you gotta be so-  
Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me;  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean.  
Why you gotta be so . . . mean~?"

When I finished singing, the boy's face had turned from gloating pride to repentant shame. He got up and slowly walked over to the girl who'd been hit. He looked down and seemed to apologize to her, and after she stood there for a few minutes, she threw a snowball in his face and grinned.

She then said something in German, and he seemed to brighten a little. thn, they all went off and played further in the park.

I stood with my arms crossed, feeling pretty damn proud of myself. I forgot that Jack was even there until a snowball hit the back of my head.

I turned and Jack stood there, a smug grin on his face. "Done daydreaming, there princess?" he teased.

I gave him a feral grin. "Oh, hush, you!" I said, grabbing a snowball and throwing it with deadly speed.

It hit him in the shoulder and I bolted into the sky, giggling. "Race you back to Burgess~! See if you can keep up, Snowcone~!"

~ 3rd P.o.V ~

Jack laughed as he bolted after Skye. He followed the sounds of her bell-like giggles on the wind when they got into thick clouds, and he had to admit that he'd never had more fun in his life.

For the first time in his 300 year existence, he wasn't alone. Skye had helped to fill the large gap in his heart, and had made his life more . . . exciting, and fun. He enjoyed teaching her how to fly, and how to command the Wind. He also admired her talent with music, and had even witnessed her 'training' with a katana she had saved from the avalanche she had caused by accident.

The girl had some strength, both physical and otherwise.

Unlike him, she remembered her past. He was surprised at the thought that he could have had a life before becoming Jack Frost.

When she told her story of how she'd fallen out of a fourth story window saving her sister from the same fate, he had seen a melancholy sadness in her eyes.

He hated seeing her sad; it didn't suit her at all.

He caught up to her as they passed over New York, and she gaped a bit, then gave him that feral grin again.

"Betcha I'll win, Frost!" she called out.

He grinned right back. "Betcha you'll lose, Okumura!"

"Fine then! Last one there has to . . . try and break into Santa's workshop!" she called.

He barked out a laugh. "Been there, done that! Couldn't get past the yetis!"

He heard her laugh in her bell-like voice and felt his chest thump in a weird way. He ignored it, thinking maybe it was the change in air pressure.

"Alright, alright, loser has to . . . spill their deepest, darkest secret!" she called.

"Done deal! Get ready to lose, Skye!" he called back, going faster.

She laughed once more and sped up as well. They kept becoming neck and neck on the way there, that is, until Skye told the wind to make her go faster and to make Jack slow down.

He felt the wind slow slightly, and then gaped at how far ahead Skye was getting. He had a feeling of what she did, and he grinned.

"Damn, she learns fast!" he said, telling the wind to make him go faster once more.

However, when he got to his lake, she was laying on it with her orchid hair splayed around her head on the ice and she was breathing heavily. He landed next to her with a slightly defeated smile.

"Well, Ryuu, you win," he said, sitting next to her.

She let out a breathless laugh. "H-heh, yeah," she panted. "Whew . . . Damn, riding the wind takes some stamina. You must have loads of it after three centuries of practice . . ."

He grinned smugly. "But of course, young padawon. Much to learn, you have."

She giggled and turned on her side to look at him better, raising a brow at him. "You like Star Wars?"

He chuckled. "Hey, having no one see me is useful sometimes; I won't even tell you how many theatres I've snuck into."

She laughed and laid on her back once more. "You are so bad, Jack. I wouldn't doubt it if you held the record for the Naughty List of good ol' St. Nick."

He snickered. "I don't doubt it either."

She looked at him with eyes filled with mischief. "Alright, Blizzard Boy, deepest darkest secret: spill it."

He thought for a moment, but could only come up with some of the more . . . _embarrassing_ things he'd seen while flying around in various cities around the world.

Noticing the dark blue blush on his cheeks, Skye laughed. "Come on, it can't be that bad. I promise i won't judge you for whatever it is; you're my best friend, I wouldn't do that."

He paused at her words, then smiled brightly. "You really mean that?!"

She looked up at him curiously. "Which part?"

"That I'm your best friend," he clarified, nearly bouncing in joy.

She giggled and nodded. "Yes; you, Jackson Frost, are my best friend. Now come on, your secret can't be _that_ bad."

He grinned, then blushed dark blue once more. "Well . . . sometimes being invisible can have, uhm, very . . . embarrassing advantages . . ."

She smirked and raised a brow. "Oh? Now you've got me curious. Do tell~!"

He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "I . . . mayhaveseenafewpeoplehavingsex . . ."

"Whoah whoah, slow down there, Jacky boy," she said, sitting up. "What'd you say again?"

His face got blue. "I . . . may have accidentally seen some people having sex at times . . ."

Her jaw dropped, and she began giggling. "Ohmygod, that's so funny! And no, I'm not laughing at you, silly," she said when he began to look a bit miffed.

"Then what?" he asked.

"Just the fact that you find it so embarrassing," she said, giggling. "Really, I'd think that someone your age would have at least seen _something_ like that once or twice! Hell, even I've seen that kinda stuff before. Not voluntarily, though. By accident, kinda like you."

He grinned at the light dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Oh? Do tell."

She rolled her eyes. "I had friends who were older, and they may or may not have liked watching hentai and making fun of how ridiculous it could get. I was walking by and saw the computer screen. According to them, my eyes got so wide that they thought I'd turned into a fish," she said, smiling sheepishly.

"After that, they kinda dragged me inside to make fun of the one they were watching along with them," she concluded. "I gotta admit, they are so ridiculous with some details, it's so un-amusing that it's laughable."

Jack fell backwards, laughing. "Oh my god, your friends were so weird!"

She laughed with him. "I know, right? I hold it over their heads for making me sort of have a mind that's in the gutter at times. But, moving on," she said, clearing her throat, "I honestly don't care that you've seen that shit. Hell, you look like you were 17 or something when you died, so most boys your physical age have seen that stuff already. No need to feel shame, mah man."

He chuckled. "You are way too awesome, Skye."

She playfully tossed her hair. "But of course, _dah-ling~,_" she said, fluttering her eyelashes. "I'm simply the definition of awesome~!"

He snorted a laugh and fell backwards. "Oh my god, you are such a dork!"

She giggled and flopped next to him. "Yup~! But don't forget, I'm _your_ dork, Snowcone."

He chuckled and looked u at the sky, just like she was. Then, after a moment of peaceful silence, she pointed up at the sky.

"Look," she whispered softly. "It's Pegasus. See the square?"

He followed her finger and noticed that, indeed, the constellation Pegasus was above them. He lookd over at her.

"You stargaze?" he asked in a whisper.

She smiled tenderly. "Yes. My Oka-san taught me to look at the sky and read the stars. She also taught me how to make pictures myself."

Jack noticed the way her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the stars, and how her tender smile seemed to make her face look even more beautiful-

_Wait, why am I thinking that? _he pondered mentally as he looked back up at the sky. _Why the hell is my chest feeling so weird . . . ?_

Then, Skye got up and dusted the snow off her skirt. "I'm gonna go to bed; goodnight, Jack," she said.

He stood as well and she gave him a hug goodnight, which he returned wholeheartedly. "Sweet dreams, Skye."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

D'aw, they're bonding~!

Oh, and don't worry, the movie events will begin to happen in the next chapter, alrighty? ^_^


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As it got closer to Easter, I became more tense and strict with my training, with both my salvaged katana and my singing powers. Jack kept looking at me oddly as we flew over to take care of Russia.

"Hey, Skye, you feelin' okay?" he asked. "You've seemed really . . . stressed lately."

I sighed. "I just . . . I keep getting this feeling that something bad is coming. Something that's gonna really fuck shit up . . ."

He gave me a reassuring smile as we flew. "Hey, whatever it is, it's not anything we won't be able to handle together," he said, taking my hand.

I felt a light blush coat my cheeks and I quirked a small smile. "Yes, I'm sure you're right . . ."

We landed in Russia, and while Jack went and did his thing, I flew around, following my sixth sense to a small apartment in what looked like the bad side of town. A boy around my age was holding a knife to his wrist, as if he meant to slit it.

I gasped and felt tears come to my eyes. "No no no . . ."

I quickly changed my mp3 to the right song, and I sang along with it."

"Staring blank at the wall;  
Never been so alone.  
Why can't they get me?  
Would they care if I was gone?  
Spinning around all alone  
In my head tonight.  
Would it all be so easy?  
Would they ever miss me?"

"You can't let them win;  
I won't let you give in . . ."

"You are the heart  
That beats inside of me;  
If you give up tonight,  
You give up on me.  
Don't go out,  
So don't go out  
Like a teenage tragedy.  
Don't go out,  
So don't go out  
Like a teenage tragedy."

"You are screaming;  
Seems like no one's listening.  
You want to be found;  
No one knows you're missing.  
You wonder why  
There's no tears when you cry?  
And it feels like goodbye;  
Well, not tonight."

"Every sad ending  
Has a new beginning."

"Stand up and fight;  
Don't let them hold you down.  
It can't end tonight;  
We gotta hold our ground.  
Not going out,  
Not going out,  
Like a teenage tragedy.  
Not going out,  
Not going out,  
Like a teenage tragedy . . ."

"Put down the knife;  
Take back your life.  
Put down the knife;  
Take back your life . . ."

"It's all inside; you can change the world.  
So don't you dare give up on me tonight."

"You are the heart  
That beats inside of me.  
If you give up tonight,  
You give up on me.  
Don't go out,  
So don't go out  
Like a teenage tragedy.  
Don't go out,  
So don't go out  
Like a teenage tragedy."

"Boom boom boom;  
You are the heart inside . . .  
Boom boom boom;  
You are the heart inside of me~.  
Boom boom boom;  
You are the hart inside . . .  
Boom boom boom;  
You are the heart inside of me~!"

"Staring at the stars, and knowing  
We are not alone;  
You are not alone~ . . ."

The boy's hand trembled and he dropped the knife to the floor as I finished singing. Tears poured down both of our faces, and I gently and quietly opened the window doors, slipping inside and placing my hand on his tear-stained cheek.

"Please . . . don't lose faith . . . things can get better," I murmured, even though I knew he wouldn't be able to hear me, or even understand me if he could.

He shivered, then straightened in his seat, a determined look on his face.

"Dolzhny prodolzhat' idti . . . Dlya moyey materi. YA ne pozvolyu otets bol'no nas bol'she!" he said. With the tone he was using, it sounded like a vow.

I smiled, then turned to the window to see Jack floating outside. "Got another one done?" he asked, smiling.

I nodded and wiped my face. He appeared concerned when he noticed my eyes; they must have been red.

I smiled a little. "He was about to cut himself," I murmured. "I had to stop him . . . such lack of faith and sadness . . . I can only imagine what drove him to almost do that."

His brow furrowed and he wiped at the few new tears which fell down my face. "Hey, you stopped him. That's what matters," he said gently. He then took my hand and led me out the window.

"Come on; let's get back home," he said.

All of a sudden, the Aurora Borealis shined across the sky. I tensed, then swore softly under my breath.

"I knew the time was coming," I muttered to myself.

"Huh?" said Jack, looking over at me. "You say something?"

I smiled a little. "Nah, just hoping that boy will be alright," I said convincingly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he said.

~ 3rd P.o.V; North Pole ~

Up in the Arctic Circle, the four Guardians gathered at North's workshop, having seen the signal of the Aurora Borealis.

"This better be good, North," said Bunny, annoyed at the cold weather and having to be summoned only a few days before Easter.

Sandman arrived soon after, and North greeted him warmly. "Sandy!"

The short, golden man floated to the floor and gave North a quick smile, then made gestures to ask just why he was summoned at night when so many dreams needed to be distributed.

"I know, I know," said North. "But I wouldn't have called you all here if it wasn't serious."

Tooth hushed her chattering fairies, and the other three Guardians listened to what North had to say.

"My fellow Guardians, it is our job to watch over the children of the world and keep them safe. To bring wonder, hope, and dreams. And so, I've called us here for one reason and one reason only: the children are in danger. And enemy we have kept at bay for centuries has finally decided to strike back. We alone can stop him," he finished, crossing his arms. The Naughty and Nice tattoos on his arms were visible.

The other three moved closer in concern, and North finally told them. "The Boogeyman was here at the Pole."

Tooth's eyes widened. "Pitch? Pitch Black? Here?"

"Yes! There was black sand covering the globe, and then a shadow!" said North.

"What do you mean 'black sand'?" asked Bunny, painting one of his Easter eggs. "Hold on, hold on, I thought you said you saw Pitch?"

"Well, uh, not exactly," said North, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not exactly?! Can you believe this guy?" Bunny asked, looking at Sandy.

The short man made a sand question mark above his head and Bunny nodded, snorting a short laugh. "Yeah, you said it, Sandy."

"Look, Pitch is up to something very bad," said North. "I can feel it! In my belly," he said, jiggling it for emphasis.

"Hang on, you mean to say you summoned me here three days before Easter because of your belly?" asked Bunny, his nose twitching in annoyance. "Mate, if I did this to you three days before Christmas . . ."

Tooth gave orders to her mini fairies as they talked. "Please, Bunny, Easter is not Christmas," said North, patting the Pooka's nose and swiping his egg.

Sandy drank some eggnog as Tooth gave more orders to her fairies. "Here we go," sighed Bunny, throwing his paws up dramatically. "North, I don't have _time_ for this! I still have 2 million eggs to finish up!"

"No matter how much you paint, is still an egg," said North, smirking and waving the egg he swiped in the Pooka's face.

"Look, Mate, I'm dealin' with perishables!" he said, swiping the egg back. "You've got all year to prepare."

As everyone else was getting into doing things, Sandy looked up and noticed the moon shining through the open window. He dropped his cup in surprise, then tried to get the others' attentions.

"Why are rabbits always so nervous?" asked North, giving Bunny a slight shove and making the egg fumble in his paws.

"Why are _you_ always such a blowhard?" retorted Aster, regaining his grip on the egg .

Tooth flew in between them while still taking to her fairies and North sighed. "Tooth, can;t you see we are trying to argue?"

"Sorry, not all of us get to work one night a year," she said; her little fairies tweeted in agreement. "Am I right, Sandy?" she asked the short man.

Sandy nodded, but then tried to get her attention to the moon, but she got sidetracked by lateral incisors and such once more.

"Come on, Pitch went out with the Dark Ages. We made sure a that, remember?" asked Bunny.

"I know it was him. We have a serious situation," insisted North.

"And I have a serious situation with some eggs!" retorted Bunny.

Sandy, however, was fed up with being ignored and grabbed the nearest elf and picked him up, shaking him so his bell jingled loudly. The other three finally stopped what they were doing to look at him, and he dropped the elf. He made a crescent moon over his head, then sharply pointed to the window where the moon was peeking in.

"Ah! Man in Moon!" cried North with a grin. "Sandy, why didn't you say something?"

The Master of Dreams put his fists at his sides as sand steam came out of his ears in frustration.

North, not noticing this, looked up at the moon with a smile. "It's been a long time, old friend! What is big news?"

The moon shone a strong shaft of light onto the Guardian tile on the floor, and the silhouette of a dark, laughing man appeared. the others looked down in shock and Tooth's mini-fairies cringed in fear.

"It _is_ Pitch," said Bunny, looking over at North.

The jolly man tapped his belly and gave him a look as if to say 'I told you so' before looking up at the moon once more.

"Manny, what must we do?" he asked.

The shaft of light grew more narrow and precise, shining down brighter on the Guardian tile on the floor. The 'G' symbol rose from the top, and a large icy-looking gem rose from within it. The light from it refracted all around the large room, almost making it look like they were in an aquarium.

Tooth gasped quietly. "Uh, guys, you know what this means."

"He is choosing new Guardian," said North.

"What? Why?" asked Bunny, slightly insulted at the suggestion that they weren't good enough alone.

"Must be big deal; Manny thinks we need help," said North, looking at the crystal in wonder as it began to take shape.

"Since _when_ do _we_ need help?" asked Bunny, still pretty miffed.

"I wonder who it'll be!" cried Tooth in excitement.

Sandy made a symbol of a four leaf clover over his head with sand. Tooth nodded her head. "Maybe the Leprechaun?"

"Please not the Groundhog, please not the Groundhog," prayed Bunny, his eyes closed and his paws clasped before him.

The crystal shined so bright that it blinded the Guardians for an instant, and when they looked again, they saw not one, but _two_ figures. They stood back to back, but their arms were linked and their hands tightly clasped together.

One was a boy in a hoodie with the hood up, holding what looked to be a shepherd's staff in his free hand. The other was a girl, her hair in pigtails with her bangs covering her left eye. She wore headphones around her neck which connected to the mp3 she held in her free hand, and her left leg was exposed by the long, half-skirt she wore. The top part of her outfit showed a few dragon tattoos, and a cross on her upper left arm, along with a dragon on her upper left thigh which was partially hiding underneath her thigh-high sock.

"Jack Frost and another spirit," said North, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Two newbies?! I take it back, the Groundhog's fine!" cried Bunny as some of Tooth's mini fairies sighed dreamily at the figure of Jack Frost.

"W-well, uh, as long as they help to, uh, protect the children, right?" said Tooth, getting out o her daze over Jack.

"Jack Frost is one thing, but what about this unknown sheila?" said Bunny, gesturing to the girl figure.

"I on't think I've seen a spirit like her before," said Tooth, eyeing the biker gloves and boots the figure wore. "She seems . . . different."

Her eyes fell on how tightly her hand and Jack's were entwined, as if they were each other's lifelines. "What do you make of this, North?" she asked.

"This I do not know," said the jolly man. "Perhaps they are in same place? Or maybe they are close somehow?"

"Great, so now we have to find Jack Frost and some other potential trouble maker?" complained Bunny. "He doesn't care about children! All he does is freeze water pipes and mess with my egg hunts, right? He's an irresponsible, selfish-"

"Guardian," finished North simply, smiling a little at the figures. "And whoever this malen'kaya devochka is, she must be very unique or important to have Manny choose her."

"I don't see how we can get nay help from some sheila we know nothing about," said Bunny. "And Jack Frost might be many things, but he is _not_ a Guardian."

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And now, shit gets cray cray lol.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jack was off doing god knows what while I stayed in Burgess, floating around and looking at the town before the sun rose. Jack said he'd return by sunrise, and I was holding that devil-boy to his promise.

Soon, the sun rose, and people began moving about. I looked up and saw the snow starting to come down, and I laughed.

"Oh, Jack. Giving the kids another snow day, I see," I said to myself, fiddling with my katana. I'd strapped the sheath to a new belt I'd acquired.

I flew higher to try and track my mischievious friend, and I finally found him as he flew along the streets and made ice patches everywhere. I grinned and snuck up behind him.

"BOO!"

"Gah-ah!" He flailed a little and then regained control, turning over to look back at me. "You are no fair, Ryuu."

I giggled and flew forward to poke his nose. "And you, mister, are late. You said by sunrise, shimo no shōnen."

He gave me an apologetic grin. "Sorry, Skye~ . . ."

I clicked my tongue and then flew beside him as he straightened out. "You're lucky you're my best friend, Snowcone," I said, giving him a smirk.

He then flew straight up into the air, and I followed him as he made to dive towards the lake. As he skimmed across and made the wind blow, he caused Jamie Bennett's book to fly from his hands.

I landed beside the startled boy and chuckled. "Be nice, Jack. This boy here is a total sweetheart."

He rolled his eyes and looked at his book, which was entitled 'They're Out There - Mythical Creatures, and the Unexplained Phenomena'.

"Huh. Looks interesting," said Jack. "Good book?" he asked Jamie rhetorically.

I chuckled and put an arm around his shoulders. "Who knows, maybe there's a little pic in there of you, Snowcone. Except they always make you look like an elf or old man. Which is so not true; you're way prettier than either a those."

He gave me a look, but I could see the light blue blush on his cheeks. "A guy cannot be 'pretty'," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever even _seen_ Jeffree Star?"

". . . Touche."

Two of Jamie's friends, Claude and Caleb, ran past him. "Woohoo, snow day!" they cheered.

"You're welcome," said Jack with a carefree grin, even though they wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Hey guys, wait up!" called Jamie. "Are you guys going to the egg hunt on Sunday?"

I chuckled and Jack and I flew up, landing on Jamie's house fence. I tried practicing my balance, Jack behind me in case if I should fall.

"Whoa! It says they found a Bigfoot hair sample _and_ DNA in Michigan! That's, like, super close!" cried Jamie in excitement.

I giggled. "I wonder if Bigfoot is real. If Santa and Sandman are real, I wouldn't doubt it."

I slipped a little and Jack caught me. "Whoa, careful, Skye," he said, his hands on my forearms.

I blushed a little, then turned my head to give him a smile. "Thanks, Jack."

"The Easter Bunny _is _real," we heard Jamie say.

"Oh, the Easter Bunny's real, alright. Real annoying, real grumpy, and _really_ full of himself," he said, chuckling as he helped me find my balance once more.

I snorted a laugh. "Jack, be nice!" I chuckled, remembering how the two would actually come to an understanding later in the future.

"Easter Bunny! Hop hop hop!" said Sophie as she went down the steps.

"Awww~! What a CUTIE~!" I cried, hopping down off the fence.

I knelt beside her as she fell and hummed a quick lullaby to ease the pain as Jamie called out, "Mooom, Sophie fell again."

I stood as their mother came out and raised a brow at Jamie's retreating figure. "Well, now, he sure seems concerned . . ." I said rolling my eyes.

I turned to see Jack look at me weird. "Uhh . . . what?" I asked.

". . . Never thought you liked kids _that_ much," he said.

I raised a brow and smirked at him as we walked. "Uhm, had a little sister, remember? And believe it or not, I like cute things. And she is just so ADORBS, OHMYGOD~!" I cried, grinning and feeling myself flush in adoration.

"Oh yeah; forgot you had a sister," he said. ". . . That look on your face is kinda . . . cute."

I felt my face turn bright pink and coughed. "O-oh, w-well, uhm, th-thank you."

"Jamie, hat!" called his mother before he could leave the gate. "We don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose."

"Who's Jack Frost?" asked the brown-haired boy.

"No one, honey, that's just an expression," she answered.

"Hey!" said Jack and I at once.

"How rude!" I said primly.

He scooped up some snow and made a snowball. "Who's Jack Frost?" he repeated, a sly look on his face. He blew on the snowball and it glowed with that pale blue light.

He threw it, and it ended up hitting Jamie right in the back of the neck. I clapped.

"Oooh, good shot. Ten points," I said.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, bowing a little.

We both flew over to where he and his friends were standing near a small park of some sort. Jamie laughed and looked around.

"Okay, who threw that?" he asked between giggles.

I snrked. "Well, sure wasn't the Easter Bunny, short stuff," I teased as Jack and I landed.

Soon, they all began throwing snowballs at each other, and then one hit me right in the ass. I turned and gaped at Jack, a smirk finding its way to my face at his 'oh _SHIT_' expression.

"You totally just asked for it, sweet cheeks," I said, grinning evilly and grabbing a few snowballs.

He dodged and ran from my onslaught, but I got him good a few times in the face and his chest.

All of a sudden, it went quiet when a snowball ended up hitting a taller girl who looked quite tough. She turned around slowly, growling under her breath.

"Oh! I hit Cupcake!" panicked a blonde girl in a loud whisper.

"She hit Cupcake," said the blonde boy with glasses, pointing at her.

"You hit Cupcake," deadpanned Caleb.

The large girl picked up her snowman head and loomed over Jamie's fallen figure, still growling. Jack looked around and acted fast, throwing a magic snowball at her face.

She stumbled back a bit and I sighed in relief as I saw blue sparkles in front of her eyes. She began laughing and then chased them around with the snowman's head held high.

They all laughed, running away from her. I laughed as well, leaning over and clutching my sides.

"Oh god, I would so do that, too!" I chortled.

All of a sudden, I lost track of Jack and then I heard concerned yells. "Oh god Jack, what did you do now?!"

I flew over fast and saw the trial of ice and Jamie's absence. "Oh shiiiit . . . I remember this!"

I chased after the trail, gaining speed until I'd caught up with Jack and Jamie.

"Jackson Frost, be careful with him!" I scolded.

"What? He's fine!" he said, grinning as he helped Jamie avoid getting hit by a plow truck and making the ice ramp.

I covered my eyes, as I knew what was gonna happen next. I heard him land and assure his friends that he was okay, and I sighed.

"Five . . . four . . . three . . . two-"

"Why are you counting?" asked Jack.

"One," I said, just as the sofa hit Jamie. I gave Jack a look and raised an eyebrow. "So . . . he's alright, hm?"

"Heheh . . . oops," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

All of a sudden, Jamie held up his now lost tooth. I sighed as I saw his and his friends reactions get to Jack.

"Oh no . . ." he murmured. He hopped off the statue and followed after them. "Ah, wait a minute, come on hold on hold on. What about all that fun we just had? That wasn't the Tooth Fairy, that was me!"

I frowned, struck deeply by his want for recognition. "Jack . . ."

Clouds started to swirl above, and I knew that Jack's emotions were affecting the weather. "Wait, come on, don't go . . ."

He flew in front of Jamie. "What's a guy got to do to get some attention around here?" he asked, right before Jamie walked through him.

He seemed to grow paler, and that was saying something since he had alabaster skin already. I floated over to him as he walked, his eyes downcast.

"Jack?" I said softly.

At his silence, I wordlessly took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I won't leave you," I said quietly. "No matter what, okay? You aren't alone anymore . . ."

He looked at me and I gave him a small, tender smile. His lips twitched a bit into a slight smile, and then he took off, spreading the snow clouds all over the town for the rest of the day.

~ le time skip ~

That night, we went to Jamie's house. He sat on the roof and looked inside Jamie's bedroom window upside down, his hood falling onto his head.

I floated outside the window and smiled a little at the sight of Sophie in her pink butterfly fairy wings.

When frost started to spread on Jamie's window, Jack stood and walked along the roof. I floated up to stand beside him.

"If there's something I'm doing wrong," he started, "would you please, just . . . tell me what it is?" he asked, looking up at the moon. "Because I've tried everything . . . And so has Skye," he added.

I looked at him in surprise and he took my hand, still looking up at the moon. "No one ever sees us; we try everything we can. Skye _saves_ people, Moon . . . You put us here, the least you can do is tell us . . . tell us why? And if not me, then . . . at least tell her," he said, his voice trailing off into a whisper.

"Jack," I breathed, touched that he would put me over himself. He has been the truly lonely one out of the two of us; he was alone for 3 centuries. I felt slight tears prick at my eyes as I realized that, in a way . . . I was every bit as alone as he was.

This wasn't my world; I knew no one here, except Jack. I couldn't stop by and see my sister, or my father. Or even visit mom's grave . . .

I felt the tears fall down my cheeks, and Jack wiped them away when he looked back at me.

He gave me a slight smile and hugged me, gripping my hand. "Hey . . . don't cry. I'm not gonna leave you, either. I won't let you be as alone as I was . . ."

I let out short, quiet laugh. "Thanks, Snowcone. I just . . . I guess I just miss my imōto and my Oto-san . . ."

He gave me one more quick squeeze before lifting us onto the power lines. He walked along them effortlessly, frosting them over as I floated beside him.

Golden strands of Dream Sand began to appear, and Jack lowered his hood and looked up, smiling at it.

"Right on time, Sandman," he murmured.

Some Dream Sand swirled around us, and I giggled. I lightly touched a stream of it, and it turned into a large, Asian dragon which twisted around us.

"That's so cool!" I said, clapping.

Jack laughed at my giddiness and reached up to touch a stream as well, and it turned into a dolphin, doing tricks and cackling happily.

I giggled. "You like sea creatures, Jack?"

"W-well, I can't really go to warm climates where dolphins live, so . . ." He trailed off, shrugging and blushing light blue.

I smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry you can't go and see them in their natural habitat . . . But maybe we could go to an aquarium someday! I hear the one in Boston is pretty top-notch."

He grinned. "I'd like that!"

The streams of Dream Sand disappeared, and we went along the power lines some more, just chilling out. Then, a black shadow passed behind us quickly.

"Whoa!" cried Jack, following it.

I wasn't as freaked out; I knew it was only Bunny moving really fast.

I trailed after Jack, keeping up with him as he followed Bunny around. We landed in the alleyway, Jack's staff pointed in front of him, and my hand on my katana's hilt.

"Calm down, Jack," I said. "I'm sure it's nothing to be overly worried about."

"I wouldn't say that, sheila."

We both turned and I reflexively drew my katana. When I saw Bunny's shadow I let out a breath and put it away.

"Frost. Been a long time. The blizzard of '68, I believe. Easter Sunday, wasn't it?" he asked rhetorically, stepping out of the shadows and lightly pointing his boomerang at Jack.

The boy lowered his staff and stood it up. "Bunny! You're not still mad about that, are ya?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, I am," he said.

"Truth be told, I would be, too, Bunny," I piped up. Jack gave me a look and I held my hands up. "Hey, if you fucked up my holiday, if I had one, that is, I'd be pretty pissed at you, too. Despite you being my best friend."

He rolled his eyes and I saw Bunny smirk. "Well, lucky for you, Frost, that's not what this is about. And lucky for me, you're both in the same place so I don't have to go hopping all over creation to find _you_," he said, pointing his boomerang at me before putting it on his back.

"Wait, what?" I said, deadpanning.

"Fellas," said Bunny.

And with that, Jack was lifted and put into a sack by two yetis. I stood there and tried to stifle my giggles and disguise them as coughs.

One of them opened the portal, and the other offered that way to Bunny and I.

"Me? Hehehe, not on your nelly," he said.

"Uhm, yeah, I'm not feeling it either, to be honest," I said. I looked up at Bunny. "U-uhm, Bunny, do you mind, uh, taking me with you? I've wanted to try them tunnels a your's."

He raised a furry brow and then gestured for the yetis to go. They did so, and Aster tapped his foot twice on the ground, opening a tunnel.

"Sheilas first," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and hopped in, Bunny following behind me. I twisted and turned along the tunnel's path, and then it opened and I flew out. I wobbled a bit in the air, slightly dizzy.

Bunny came up and landed on his feet, and I felt him steady me a little.

"Easy there, sheila. It's a bit hard the first time," he said, lightly chuckling.

"Y-you're tellin' me, Cottontail," I said, my head still spinning. "Okay, n-now which one a ya is the real one? One, two, or three?"

He laughed and made me land on my feet before sitting me in a chair. "Take it easy, sheila. It'll wear off."

I blinked a few times and took some even breaths, then looked around and saw that we were in the Globe Room in North's workshop.

My jaw dropped. "Ho-ho-holy shit," I muttered.

Bunny whacked the back of my head lightly. "Hey, watch your mouth."

"Can't, my nose is in the way," I retorted, smirking.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then an unexpected smile fought its way onto his face. "Okay, that was good."

I sat up straighter and grinned. "But of course, Bunnymund."

North, Tooth and Sandy came in as soon as the portal opened and Jack's sack came falling out.

"Ow!"

"Jacky boy, you alright?" I asked, going over to help him out.

He came out and stretched, then hugged me. "Man, I thought I lost ya."

"Psh, hell naw. You can't lose me, boy, no matter what," I said, using a Southern drawl.

He let me go and looked around at everyone who had gathered around us.

"Whoa . . . You gotta be kiddin' me," he muttered.

"I trust the yetis treated you well?" asked North with a wide smile.

"Oh yeah. I love being shoved into a sack and tossed through a magic portal," said Jack sarcastically.

"Oh good! That was my idea," said North.

"Oh my god, Santa really _is_ Russian," I said with a grin. "This is bloody awesome . . ."

North laughed and then gestured to Aster. "You both know Bunny."

"Yeah; and his tunnels of doom that make you feel drunk," I said with an eye roll.

Jack only nodded and shared a glare with the Pooka.

"And Tooth," continued North.

"Hi Jack! I've heard a lot about you!" she said, flitting over to him. "And your _teeth_!"

"M-my what?"

"Open up! Are they really as white as they say?!" she asked enthusiastically.

He backed up and she opened his mouth to look for herself. She squealed. "Oh, they really _do_ sparkle like freshly fallen snow!"

She then turned to me. "Mystery spirit! Open up!" she said in a bubbly voice.

"U-uh-AH," I stuttered, feeling slightly weirded out by the fact that she was checking out my teeth.

"A few fillings, but all in all they seem to glow white like moonlight~!" she praised. "You floss, don't you?!"

I nodded as best as I good with her fingers in my mouth and the mini fairies seemed to swoon at how lovely mine and Jack's teeth were. Tooth drew her hands back and clapped them a couple of times.

"Girls, pull yourselves together. Let's not disgrace the uniform," she said before flying away.

I shared a slightly freaked out look with Jack as North finished, "And then Sandman. Sandy? Sandy? WAKE UP!"

The little dozing man awoke and waved to us. I smiled and waved back.

"H-hang on, anybody wanna tell us why we're here?" asked Jack.

Sandy raised his hand and sand images went over his head at a speed that kinda left both Jack and I a little confused.

"Uhm, Sandy, thank you for trying, but you're going a little fast," I said gently, giving him a half-smile.

He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I must have done something real bad to get you four all together," said Jack as he froze an elf who was walking by. "Am I on the Naughty List?" he asked North.

"Ha! _On_ Naughty List? You hold record," said North.

"HAH! I told you so, Snowcone!" I said, grinning triumphantly.

"Yeah yeah yeah," he said, smiling and rolling his eyes.

"But no matter, we overlook. We are wiping clean the slate," continued North, wiping at his Naughty List tattoo. He then looked at me. "Out of curiosity, would you mind telling name, please?"

I grinned and did a flamboyant bow. "Skye Ryuuta Okumura. A pleasure, Saint Nicholas of the North."

"Sheila, quick question," piped up Bunny. "Where in the blazes did you get them tattoos? And why?!"

I grinned as I stood. "Got 'em done at a nice little tattoo parlor that usually caters to bikers and gang bangers. And why not get them? My Oka-san loved her tattoos; I decided to follow in her footsteps. Now, back to biz," I said looking at North. "Why in the bloody blazes did you kidnap Jack and I?"

"Yeah, and _why_ are you overlooking my Naughty List record?" inquired Jack.

"Why? I tell you both why!" said North enthusiastically. "Because you both be Guardians now!"

I pokerfaced as the trumpets played and my mind went on shutdown for a moment.

_This . . . cannot be true . . . This is so not happening . . . Only JACK is supposed to be chosen! Like . . . wut . . . ?_

"No, no music!"

I came out of my self-imposed reverie and shook my head slightly.

"Look, this is all very flattering, but, uh, you don't want me. You're all hard work and deadlines and I'm all . . . snowballs and fun times. I'm not a Guardian. Skye, yeah, totally; she's perfect for it," he said, giving me a grin.

I flushed and shook myself a bit more. "No no no, really, I'm not meant for this either," I said, looking up at North.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said," said Bunny. But he then looked at me. "Although _you_ seem to be pretty alright, sheila."

"Jack, Skye, I'm not you understand what it is we do," said Tooth flitting over to us.

"Actually, I do," I said, turning to point at the globe. "All those lights are believers, and whether they are on the Naughty or Nice list, you all take care of them and protect them. And really, that's very noble, but I wouldn't be able to do that," I concluded. "My abilities can only stretch so far . . ."

"Aeh EAH . . ."

"Tooth, fingers out of mouth," said North.

"Oh, sorry," she said, looking at Jack apologetically. "They're beautiful~!"

Jack looked at me. "How'd you know all that?"

"Common sense, Jacky boy," I said with a smirk. "Common sense."

"Okay, no more wishy washy. Pitch is out there doing god knows what," admitted North.

"Pitch? You mean, the Boogeyman?" asked Jack.

I grimaced. "Forgive my language, but I'm just gonna be blunt and say that he's a pompous, cowardly asshole who really needs to get off his high horse."

I saw Bunny fighting chuckles and Tooth gave me a scolding look. I raised my hands. "Hey, I calls 'em as I sees 'em."

"But, anyways, yes, Boogeyman is on move," said North. "When he threatens _us_, he threatens _them_ as well," he added, pointing to the lights on the globe.

"All the more reason to pick someone more qualified," said Jack as he turned to leave.

"Or someone who's abilities can actually cover a wide area," I asserted.

"Pick? You think we pick?" asked North. "No, you two were chosen like we were all chosen: by Man in Moon."

"What?" asked Jack, looking skeptical and quite shocked.

"Yeah, are you sure it wasn't supposed to be just Jack?" I inquired. Jack gave me a weird look at that, but said nothing.

"Last night, Jack, Skye. He chose both of you," said Tooth.

"Maybe Frost, but I'm sure about the sheila," said Bunny, crossing his arms.

Jack looked up out a large circular window., then back at them. "Man in the Moon . . . He talks to you?"

"See? You cannot say no," said North. "It is destiny."

"But why wouldn't he tell me that himself? Or Skye?" asked Jack, looking up out the window once more.

I went over and put a hand on his arm in comfort, and then he went on his little rant.

"After 300 years, _this_ is his answer? And what, it's been 4 months for you, right Skye?" he asked. I nodded, and he went on. "Yeah, so 300 years for me, and 4 months for Skye, _this_ is his answer? To spend eternity like you guys? Cooped up in some hideout thinking of new ways to bribe kids. No way, that's not for me, and Skye kinda deserves better than that," he added, a light blue blush on his face as he looked up angrily at the moon's faint shape.

He then turned to the others. "No offense, though."

I facepalmed. "Jack, what part of that _wasn't_ offensive? Really, have a little more tact, bro," I chided with a sigh.

"You know, I think we kinda just dodged a bullet with him," said Bunny, pointing at Jack. "What's this clown know about bringing joy to children anyway?"

At this, I felt my eyebrow twitch. "What was that, Cottontail?"

"You heard me, sheila. And it's true, too," he said firmly.

"Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to judge, Cottontail, because believe it or not, Jack actually makes kids happy," I said, my eyes narrow.

"Haven't you ever heard of a snow day?" asked Jack with a smirk. "I know it's no hard-boiled egg, but kids _like_ what I do."

"But none of them believe in you, do they?" taunted the Pooka. "Ya see, you're invisible, mate. It's like you don't exist."

Now, not only did that strike a chord in me for Jack's sake, but my own as well. I stiffened and Jack took my hand, giving it a light squeeze.

Tooth gasped. "Bunny! Enough," she said, looking at both mine and Jack's expressions.

"No no no, the kangaroo's right," said Jack.

Everyone gaped except Bunny, Jack, and I. "The what-? What did you call me? I am _not_ a kangaroo, mate," said the Pooka, coming towards us.

"Oh? And this whole time, I thought you were. If you're not a kangaroo, tell me, what are you?" asked Jack, standing up straighter to glare at Bunny.

Bunny leaned down so he was only centimeters away from Jack's face. "I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny. People believe in me," he said in a low voice.

And with that, my Scottish temper broke out.

I let go of Jack's hand and pulled Bunny down to my level by his neck fur. "Now listen here and listen GOOD, Cottontail,"I seethed. "I can stand for a few things, but that is going WAY too far. NO ONE says shit like that to my friends. Say something like that again, and this katana will be shaving your fur, got it?"

I let him go, then turned and walked a few steps away. Then, I looked over my shoulder at the stunned Pooka, feeling tears in my eyes.

"You have _no idea_ what it's like being invisible," I said. "So shut your bloody piehole."

Jack floated over and took my hand wiping at my eyes with his thumb. The whole room was silent, and then North spoke up.

"Jack, Skye, walk with me."

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Man, this is pretty long, heh. Hope you lot are enjoying the story so far. Please leave reviews? They make me smile and I might update quicker ^w^


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

North began leading us around his workshop, and the three of us got into what appeared to be a round, cage-like elevator. We went down a level, and landed in what seemed to be the main part of the workshop.

"It's nothing personal, North, but what you all do, it just isn't our thing," said Jack.

"Man in Moon says it is your thing; we shall see," said North, signing off on something. He then began to walk briskly, and Jack and I tried to keep up while taking everything in.

"Hey, slow down, would ya? I've been trying to bust in here for years; I want a good look," said Jack, grinning as he gazed all around us.

"I thought you were joking when you told me that!" I said, chuckling.

"What do you mean 'bust in'?!" asked North, not slowing his pace.

"Never could get past the yetis," said Jack with a wide grin. We passed by a yeti that pounded his fist at the sight of Jack, and the winter spirit smiled. "Hey, Phil."

I giggled and Phil looked at me with what looked to be a smile. He stopped me for a moment and then handed me a gray headband with black jewels going along it.

"Ooh~! Very pretty, Phil," I said, handing it back to him.

He shook his head and then gestured for me to keep it, and I smiled.

"Thank you!" I said, putting it on. This caused my bangs to be out of my eye, and I had to admit that being binocular made it easier to see all the cool stuff in the workshop.

I caught up to Jack and North as Jack said, "I always thought the elves made the toys."

North leaned over and whispered, "We just let them believe that."

When we came upon the elves doing god knows what with the lights and effectively electrocuting one of their brethren, I raised a brow and smirked.

"Seems they might be a bit touched in the head," I murmured to Jack.

He covered his mouth to hide his snickers, then did a doubletake as he looked at me. "Whoah."

"What?" I asked as we followed North.

". . . This is the first time I've seen both of your eyes," he said. A light blue blush coated his cheeks, and I felt myself get a little pink.

"O-oh. You're right," I said. "Ph-Phil gave me this headband, so . . . Crap, it looks bad, doesn't it?"

"No no no! Not at all!" said Jack quickly. "It actually looks . . . really nice . . ."

I blushed darker and smiled a little. "Th-thanks."

North finally led us to a large door and opened it wide. I smiled at the sight of his ice sculptures, and fiddled with my ice dragon bracelet.

North patted his hands clean and then took a little round tray from a passing elf. "Fruitcake?"

"Uh, no, thanks," said Jack.

"No offense, but no way in hell," I said, shivering. "Bad experience with my Aunt Maude's fruitcake ruined the dish for me . . ."

North nodded and then became serious, tossing the cake aside. "Now we get down to tacks of brass," he said, cracking his knuckles.

Hate to admit it, but I was slightly scared; I knew he wouldn't hurt us, but still. He's damn intimidating. After all . . . he's Russian.

"Tacks of-?" breathed Jack in confusion.

The door behind us slammed shut and the locks turned into place. Jack put me behind him as North came forward. However, he literally had me tightly sandwiched between him and the door.

Sadly, I couldn't ignore just how firmly Jack's slightly toned back and ass were pressing against me-

_Shit shit shit SHIT,_ I said, trying not to blush. _God, I'm acting like a friggin' horny schoolgirl!_

"Who _are_ you, Jack Frost and Skye Okumura? What are your centers?" asked North, taking me out of my reverie.

"Our _what_ now?" asked Jack.

"If Man in Moon chose you two to be Guardians, you both must have something very special inside," explained North. He leaned back and looked at our confused expressions, rubbing at his chin.

Then, he walked away and Jack unstuck himself from me, walking forward a little. I let out a shuddering breath and tried to calm down as North grabbed the matryoshka doll of himself.

"This is how you see me, no?" he asked, handing the doll to Jack. "Very big, intimidating; _but_, if you get to know me a little . . ."

Jack looked confused, so I opened the doll and Jack made a sound of understanding. "You're downright jolly?" observed the boy.

"Ah! But not only jolly. I am also mysterious, and fearless, and caring," he listed, naming each trait as each layer of the matryoshka came off.

"And at my very center," said North, smiling a little as Jack took out the smallest doll.

It resembled a little baby with large eyes, and I grinned, looking up at him. "Eyes full of wonder and joy," I said.

"Yes!" cried North with a broad grin. "That was what I was _born_ with. Eyes that see the _wonder in everything_," he said, making all the toys in his office spring to life.

I myself gazed around in wonder, a smile spreading on my lips. "Beautiful . . ."

North smiled tenderly. "Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air . . ."

An airplane whizzed past Jack and I, causing the office door to open. Jack and I stepped out, looking at everything in a slightly new light.

"This wonder is what I put into the world," continued North as he stood beside us. "It's what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian." He looked down at us, a tender smile on his face. "It is my center. What are yours?" he asked.

Jack held the little wooden baby in his hands and I let out a sigh as we shared a look.

"We don't know," said Jack, looking a bit put out.

North gave us a look of sympathy, curling Jack's fingers around the little baby.

I heard chittering and looked into the office to see Tooth and her mini fairies flying quickly past.

_Oh no . . . this was the part I was getting anxious about,_ I thought to myself.

Sure enough, Bunny and Sandy came to us. "We have a problem, mate," said the Pooka. "Trouble at Tooth Palace."

~ le time skip ~

Jack and I walked down some steps, following North as he barked orders to his yetis. Bunnymund and Sandy were also ahead of us, and Jack kept protesting.

"Look, guys, I'm not going with you," he said as North opened the door at the bottom. We came into what seemed to be a runway, almost like at an airport.

"There's no way I'm climbing into some rickety, old . . . sleigh . . . ?"

I watched his face as the reindeer came out, and I had to admit, the movie didn't do them justice. They were SO much bigger in person. They pulled the sleigh out, and Jack's jaw dropped.

". . . Okay, one ride, but that's it," said the winter spirit, hopping in.

I heard North chuckle as I went up to one of the reindeer. I tentatively petted it as North said, "Everyone loves the sleigh."

"Hey," I murmured quietly to the large animal. "You're very beautiful . . ."

The reindeer snorted and tossed its head, looking at me with one large, dark brown eye. I smiled and patted it once more, then hopped in next to Jack. North looked back at me in surprise.

"You can handle reindeer," he said. "Only yetis usually can handle reindeer. Or myself."

I shrugged. "Well, most animals like me. Besides, I complimented him, so that must count for something," I added with a grin.

North laughed and turned around, flipping a few switches as he lifted Bunny inside.

"Buckle up!" said the large Russian.

"Whoa whoa whoa, where are the bloody seatbelts?!" questioned the Pooka in a panicky tone.

"Hah! That was just expression," said North, grinning.

I giggled and Bunny gave me a slight glare. Soon, North snapped the reigns and we were off. We were all enjoying the crazy ride . . . except Bunny, of course. He gripped the seat and looked quite pale through his fur. Having some mercy on him, I scooted closer to him and put a hand on his furry shoulder.

"Bunny, would you like me to help sooth you?" I asked.

"H-how do y-you plan to d-do that, sh-sheila?" he asked, stuttering.

I giggled and tapped my mp3. "With this. Now, close your eyes."

He did as I said, but not before giving me a doubtful look. I put it to Yiruma's 'Moonlight' and sang the melody while holding Bunny's paw.

I saw him visibly relax, even when we did loops through the tunnel we were going through. He retracted his claws from the wooden seat and let out a breath. He opened his eyes and I stopped.

"Feel better there, mate?" I asked with a grin.

"Yeah; thanks, sheila," he said.

"Here we go!" cried North. We launched off of a ramp at the end of the tunnel, leading out to the open air. The golden wings on either side of the sleigh fanned out and the rocket engine started up. While Bunny wasn't as tense as he was before, he still seemed a bit wary. I couldn't blame him; I was kinda the same way when I first started to learn to fly.

I scooted in the back where Jack was perched and checking out the view. I saw a gleam in his eyes, and I poked his calf.

"Jackson Frost, you better be careful when you do what I know you're gonna do," I hissed to him, smirking.

He gave me a grin, then looked at Aster. "Hey, Bunny, sheck out this view-EEEAAAH!"

I bit back my giggles as Bunny became panicked. "North! He, ah . . ."

He trailed off, looking over the side and trembled at how high we were. I did the same and saw Jack lounging on one of the blades of the sleigh.

"Aw. You _do_ care," he said, smiling impishly.

Bunny scowled. "Oh, rack off, you bloody show pony!"

Jack hopped back in and sat in his original seat, while pulling me down with him. I ended up flopping right into his lap and I blushed slightly as North yelled, "Hold on, everyone! I know a shortcut!"

Bunny slumped in his seat, gripping the edges again. "Screw it, I knew we shoulda taken my tunnels!"

North tossed the snow globe in his hands and it landed in front of the reindeer. I held onto Jack tightly, seeing as that way didn't look very . . . smooth.

I heard him chuckle as we went through, and I relaxed once it was over. "God, that was so weird . . ." I said, letting him go.

"It's weirder when you're in a sack," said Jack.

I stood up and went on North's right side, while Jack stood to his left. I knew the NightMares were coming, so I drew my katana.

"Everyone, get ready to fight!" I called.

North squinted his eyes at the oncoming shadows, and when they went past us, I made sure to cut a few open.

"What is this?!" questioned North as he swerved to avoid them.

"NightMares!" I said, cutting a few more that went past us.

"They're taking the Tooth Fairies!" cried Jack. He and I both flew up into the air. He saved a mini fairy while I cut a few more NightMares.

He went back into the sleigh, and I followed behind it as it entered Tooth's palace. They chased a stray NightMare, and I raced ahead of the sleigh.

"Let me get this, you catch what it has inside it!" I called.

I cut the NightMare clean in half, and watched as the tooth cases inside of its belly landed in the sleigh.

"They're stealin' the teeth!" cried Bunny in surprise.

They swerved and landed on one of the platforms, and I landed beside Jack to check on Baby Tooth.

"Hey, little one, are you alright?" I asked her.

She nodded and chirped, and then we all saw Tooth flitting around.

"Tooth, are you alright?" called North as he got out of the sleigh.

"They took my fairies! And the teeth . . . all of them!" she cried, flying over to us. "Everything is gone . . . everything . . ."

She slumped to the floor, and Baby Tooth flitted off of Jack's shoulder. I knelt and put my hand on Tooth's.

"Hey, not everything," I said. "Jack was able to save Baby Tooth."

She looked up as the little fairy flew over and nuzzled her mama's cheek. "Oh, thank goodness one of you is alright!"

She looked up at Jack. "Thank you, Jack."

"I have to say . . . this is all very exciting. The Big Four, all in one place . . ."

We all looked around to see where the voice was coming from, and I held my katana at the ready. We all looked up as Pitch emerged from one of the platforms above us.

"I'm a little starstruck," drawled the Nightmare King. "Did you like my show on the globe, North? Got you all together, didn't I~," he said in a singsong voice.

He disappeared as North made a sound of frustration.

"Pitch, you have 30 seconds to return my fairies-!" cried Tooth as she flew up to look for him.

"Or what?" he asked, appearing on another platform. "You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?"

"Why are you doing this?" asked North with a scowl.

"Maybe, _I_ want what _you_ have," he answered. "To be believed in. Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds!"

I saw Jack stiffen, and I had to admit that me, him, and Pitch did have that one thing in common. But at least Jack and I weren't batshit insane.

"Maybe that's where you belong," retorted Bunny, his tone harsh.

Pitch appeared below our platform and looked up at him and clicked his tongue. "Go suck an egg, rabbit."

I had to admit, despite the tense situation, that was just as funny as it had been in the theatre. I coughed and made myself focus. I flew down to where Jack was standing, still holding my katana at the ready. Pitch's voice called out again.

"Hang on . . . is that . . Jack Frost?" he asked. "Since when are you all so chummy?"

"We're not," Jack answered, his eyes alert.

"And who's your little friend?" he asked, rising from the shadows in front of me. "I don't believe we've met . . ."

I scowled. "No, we haven't. And I planned to keep it that way, Pitch."

He grinned, showing his slightly crooked and pointed teeth. "Well, since you seem to know who _I_ am, it's only polite that you return the favor," he said smoothly, stepping a little closer.

I held my ground and glared at him. "You're one to talk about politeness, you rokudenashi. As for my name, it's Skye Okumura, and I plan on beating your ass six feet under," I added, gripping my katana.

"Mmm~ . . . I like a feisty woman," he said, reaching to stroke my jawline.

Jack pulled me behind him and raised his staff. "Touch her and you die," he hissed.

"Ah, I see. She's taken already. A shame, really, she's _quite_ the catch," lamented Pitch with a smirk, looking me up and down.

I mentally squirmed in disgust. _God, it looks like he's stripping me in his head! EWWWWW!_

"Well, at least you two seem to be neutral parties," he went on as he turned around. "I'm going to ignore you, then. But you must be used to that by now, Jack," he added over his shoulder.

Jack and I puffed up in indignation.

"Pitch, you shadow-sneaking ratbag! Come here!" said Bunny, leaping at Pitch as he reappeared. He only caught empty air, though, as Pitch had once again vanished.

He reappeared again and Tooth rushed at him with a harsh battle cry, gripping her long, golden dagger. However, a NightMare sprang forth and caused her to backtrack. Baby Tooth hid in Jack's hood and I went forward, gritting my teeth.

"Whoa," said Pitch, stroking the NightMare's side comfortingly. "Easy, girl, easy."

He rubbed some of the black sand from his creation between his fingers before looking down at Sandy with a smirk. "Look familiar, Sandman? It took me awhile to perfect this little trick. Turning dreams into NightMares."

They all gasped in surprise. I just glared at Pitch in pure venom.

The Nightmare King laughed. "Oh, don't be so nervous; it riles them up. They can smell fear, you know."

"What fear?" snapped Bunny, drawing one of his boomerangs. "No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages."

Pitch smiled. "Ah, the Dark Ages. Everyone frightened, miserable . . . such happy times for me," he sighed. "Oh, the power I wielded. But then the Man in the Moon chose you four to replace fear with wonder, and light," he continued, his tone becoming irritated. "Lifting their hearts and giving them hope. Meanwhile, everyone wrote me off as 'just a bad dream'. Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of; there's no such thing as the Boogeyman."

"Well, all that's about to change," he finished, cackling a little.

The pillars all around us, and any part of Tooth's palace, began to disintegrate. I gritted my teeth and growled at Pitch.

"Anata wa mattaku no kirainahito! Watashi wa, anata ga nitchū ni hōrikoma reru koto o nozomu!"

Pitch only seemed to enjoy my anger. "Again, I _love_ a feisty woman~ . . ."

"What's happening?" asked Jack, looking around at the disintegrating walls and pillars.

"Children are waking up, realizing the Tooth Fairy never came," said Pitch. "It's such a small thing, but to a child . . ."

"What's going on?" asked Jack, still not getting it.

"They don't believe in Tooth anymore," I said sadly.

Tooth's eyes were wide in hurt and anguish, her feathers ruffling in distress.

"Didn't they tell you, Jack?" asked Pitch. "It's _great_ being a Guardian! But there's a catch: if enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect, wonder, hopes, dreams, it all goes away. And little by little, so do _they_."

He chuckled. "No more Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing but fear, and darkness, and ME." He gave them a glare. "It's _your turn_ not to be believed in."

Bunny had had enough of this apparently and threw his boomerang at Pitch. The Shadow-walker ducked and hopped on the NightMare he made, flying off.

I growled and gave chase, along with the others. Bunny tossed a few egg bombs at Pitch, but he swerved to avoid them.

I then tried using one of my sound blasts to hit him, and it caught the NightMare's back flank, making it fall apart a little.

I smirked, but then frowned when I saw Pitch disappear into the shadows.

"UGHH! That utter-!"

Jack put his hand over my mouth as we landed, cutting off the tirade of swears and insults I was about to let out. I gave him a light glare and he smirked.

"Well, sorry, little Miss 'Swears Like a Sailor'. I didn't think you'd want the kangaroo washing your mouth out with soap," he taunted.

I huffed and he took his hand off. "Fair enough," I said. "But I still hate that bloody wanker of a Shadow-walker."

The others looked around for any sign of him, and then North sighed. "He's gone."

Jack and I went over to where Tooth was kneeling, cradling one of the empty tooth cases in her hands.

"I'm sorry about the fairies, Tooth," I said, sitting next to her.

"You should've seen them," she said, smiling a little. "They put up such a fight . . ."

"Why would Pitch take the teeth?" asked Jack, his confusion evident.

"It's not the teeth he wanted," explained Tooth. "It's the memories inside them."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She got up and flitted over to the mural that was hanging above the lagoon we were sitting by, and I followed. Jack walked on the lagoon, freezing the water as he did so.

"That's why we collect the teeth, Jack. They hold the most important memories inside them," she elaborated. Jack and I both looked at the lovely mural that showed Tooth giving the memories to the children while her mini fairies collected the teeth. "My fairies and I watch over them. And when someone needs to remember what's most important, we help them. We had everyone's here. Yours, too," she said, looking at Jack and I.

"M-my memories?" said Jack, confused.

"From when you were young; before you became Jack Frost," said Tooth with a smile.

"But . . . I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost," he said, backing up a bit and shaking his head.

"Of course you were. We were all someone before we were Chosen," said Tooth.

Jack looked over at me and I nodded. "Remember? I can still remember my past . . . and how I died," I added with a shiver.

"You should have seen Bunny," chortled North.

"Hey! I told you never to mention that!" hissed the Pooka.

"That night at the pond . . . I just . . . Why . . . I just assumed . . . Are you saying . . . Are you saying I had a life before that? With a home, a-and a family?!" asked Jack, gripping his staff, looking up at her with hope.

She peered at him. "You really don't remember anything?"

"All these years, and the answers were right here," said Jack. "If I find my memories, I'll know why I'm here! You HAVE TO show me my memories! And Skye's, too, if she wants to see them," he added.

"Uhm, there's a itty bitty problem there with your plan, Jacky boy," I said.

"Huh?" he asked.

I smacked him lightly upside the head. "Pitch has all the teeth, you baka!"

"Oh. Right," he said, smiling sheepishly. Then, he straightened. "Then we have to get them back!"

As we talked, a few of Tooth's feathers molted off of her, and the color drained from the mural. She gasped.

"Oh no, the children!" she cried. "It's too late, we're too late . . ."

"Hey, that kind of attitude won't solve stuff," I said. "Ya just gotta have a little faith, Tooth. Come on, there ain't no such thing as 'too late'!"

"Skye is right; is not such thing as too late!" said North. He began pacing and pacing, and then stopped. "Wait wait wait wait wait wait IDEA!" he cried, pointing a sword right at Bunny. The Pooka leaned back from it with wide eyes, and I giggled at the expression on his face.

"_WE_ will collect the teeth!" said North, gesturing to all of us with one of his swords.

"What?!" cried Tooth.

"We collect teeth, children keep believing in you!" explained North.

I grinned. "_Now_ we're talkin'!" I said.

"But, we're talking seven continents! Millions of kids!" said Tooth.

"Give me break. You know how many toys I deliver in one night?" asked North with a grin.

"And eggs I hide in one day?" added Aster, his voice filled with pride.

"And really, Toothiana," I said with a smirk. "I learned how to ride the wind from _Jack Frost_; I can go as fast as he can, if not faster."

"And, Jack, _if_ you help us," said North with a slightly sly smile, "_we_ will get your memories."

I went next to Jack and gave him a grin. "Come on, Snowcone. You know you wanna~ . . ."

He rolled his eyes then thought about it. He gave everyone a smile and gripped his staff. "I'm in."

I shot up into the air and clapped my hands together. "Sweet! Now, how about we make this a little more . . . fun~?"

Everyone gave me a look of confusion, and I only grinned wider. _This is gonna be good . . . _

.

.

.

.

.

.

Pitch is a creeper. 'Nuff said. Oh, and here is a translation of what Skye said to Pitch:

Anata wa mattaku no kirainahito! Watashi wa, anata ga nitchū ni hōrikoma reru koto o nozomu!

= MEANS =

You complete and utter asshole! I hope you get tossed into the sun!

Gotta love that Scottish temper, no? *chuckle*

Oh, and the new cover for the story is what Skye looks like, just so y'all know.

Review if you wanna! ^_^


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As we all stood on a high rooftop in Beijing, China, I reminded everyone of the rules.

"Alright, whoever gets the most teeth wins," I said.

Jack smirked. "And what does the winner get from you?" he asked.

I gave him a sly grin. "Depends on the winner. And don't forget, _I'm_ gonna be in this, too."

Tooth handed us each a tooth bag, and smiled brightly. "Everyone ready? Let's go!"

And with that, we zoomed off. I laughed at the bantering I could hear going on between Jack and Bunny, but then I distanced myself from everyone and turned on my mp3 as I started up a good song to get the air of competition going on, singing with the harsh rap lyrics.

"Cause sometimes you just feel tired,  
Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up.  
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength  
And just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up  
And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse."

"Till I collapse I'm spilling these raps long as you feel 'em  
Till the day that I drop you'll never say that I'm not killing them  
'Cause when I am not then I'ma stop penning 'em  
And I am not hip-hop and I'm just not Eminem.  
Subliminal thoughts when I'm stop sending them women are caught in webs spin and hawk venom.  
Adrenaline shots of penicillin could not get the illing to stop.  
Amoxacilin is just not real enough.  
The criminal cop killing hip-hop filling a minimal swap to cop millions of Pac listeners.  
You're coming with me, feel it or not  
You're gonna fear it like I showed you the spirit of god lives in us.  
You hear it a lot, lyrics that shock  
Is it a miracle or am I just a product of pop fizzing up?  
For sizzle my whizzle this is the plot, listen up;  
You bizzles forgot slizzle does not give a fuck!"

"Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out  
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth.  
Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps.  
I'ma rip this shit till my bones collapse.  
Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out  
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth.  
Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps.  
I'ma rip this shit till my bones collapse."

"Music is like magic; there's a certain feeling you get  
When you're real and you spit and people are feeling your shit.  
This is your moment and every single minute you spend trying to hold onto it  
'Cause you may never get it again.  
So while you're in it, try to get as much shit as you can  
And when your run is over just admit when it's at its end.  
'Cause I'm at the end of my wits with half this shit that gets in.  
I got a list here's the order of my list that it's in.  
It goes Reggie, Jay-Z, Tupac and Biggie, Andre from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me.  
But in this industry I'm the cause of a lot of envy,  
So when I'm not put on this list the shit does not offend me.  
That's why you see me walk around like nothing's bothering me;  
Even though half you people got a fucking problem with me.  
You hate it but you know respect you've got to give me  
The press's wet dream like Bobby and Whitney. Nate hit me."

"Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out  
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth.  
Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps.  
I'ma rip this shit till my bones collapse.  
Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out  
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth.  
Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps.  
I'ma rip this shit till my bones collapse."

"Soon as a verse starts, I eat it at MC's heart  
What is he thinking? How not to go against me? Smart.  
And it's absurd how people hang on every word.  
I'll probably never get the props I feel I ever deserve  
But I'll never be served my spot is forever reserved  
If I ever leave earth, that would be the death of me first.  
'Cause in my heart of hearts, I know nothing could ever be worse.  
That's why I'm clever when I put together every verse.  
My thoughts are sporadic, I act like I'm an addict;  
I rap like I'm addicted to smack like I'm Kim Mathers.  
But I don't want to go forth and back in constant battles  
The fact is I would rather sit back and bomb some rappers.  
So this is like a full blown attack I'm launching at them  
The track is on some battling raps who want some static.  
'Cause I don't really think that the fact that I'm Slim matters  
A plaque of platinum status is whack if I'm not the baddest."

"Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out  
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth.  
Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps.  
I'ma rip this shit till my bones collapse.  
Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out  
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth.  
Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps.  
I'ma rip this shit till my bones collapse."

"Until the roof, until the roof,  
The roof comes off, the roof comes off,  
Until my legs, until my legs  
Give out from underneath me.  
I will not fall,  
I will stand tall,  
Feels like no one can beat me."

As I flew in and out of bedrooms, I let the song's rhythm and beat control my speed and my attentiveness. I kept singing intense, competitive music as we went from continent to continent, and I was so into my songs that the wind didn't take as much out of me as before.

Pretty soon, we all met up in NYC and I hid my very large tooth sack behind a chimney. I saw that the boys had their sacks pretty full by now, but mine was still bigger.

"Wow! You guys collect teeth and leave gifts as fast as my fairies!" said Tooth in a bubbly voice.

The guys' expressions went blank and I facepalmed. "Really, guys? You forgot to leave gifts? Even _I_ left them something."

"Oh yeah? What'd you leave them?" asked Bunny, his tone challenging.

I gave him a feral grin and held up one of Tooth's old portable coin depositors. "I nabbed it before we left; and it even has different coins for each different currency, too~!"

"Yes; Skye asked me if she could borrow it for tonight!" said Tooth with a grin.

They all winced as they realized their mistake and I laughed, grabbing my large tooth sack.

"Well, then, Imma just go and head to the Western states now," I said, showing off my sack.

"How the-?" asked Jack, but I cut him off.

"Don't wait up, Jacky~," I said, winking and playfully blowing him a kiss. Then, the wind picked me up and led me West.

I went all the way from California and Washington back to Pennsylvania; Burgess, to be exact. There was one tooth that I wanted to grab: Jamie's.

When I got there, though, I saw that Jack and Tooth had already arrived. I set my tooth sack on the ground, seeing as it was getting far too heavy for me to carry anymore, and then swooped into the window.

"Sup?" I asked with a grin.

Tooth looked up from Jamie's sleeping face and smiled at me. "Skye! There you are!"

"Where were you?" asked Jack.

"Oh, Cali, Nevada, Kansas, all over the place, really," I said. I grinned as I looked at Tooth's hand.

"So, Jack, did you tell Toothy here just _how_ Jamie lost that tooth?" I asked innocently.

"Shut up," he said playfully, mock-punching my arm.

Tooth giggled. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate you two helping out. I really wish I could do the same for your memories," she added, frowning a little.

I waved her off. "Eh, I have my memories. And the ones I don't have . . . Well, I'm fine without them," I said, smiling a little sadly. "Besides, I feel bad for you being surrounded by all that testosterone. It's a wonder you haven't already maimed Bunny or North yet," I added, giggling.

She giggled as well and Jack smirked. "Well, let's just get you taken care of first, Tooth. And then it's Pitch's turn."

North then tried to wedge his way in through the window. "Here you are," he said, grunting. Once he was inside, Sandy floated in after him. "What gives, slowpokes?" he asked.

"North, shush!" I whispered.

She smiled sheepishly, then looked at Tooth. "How are you feeling, Toothy?" he asked in a whisper.

"Believed in!" she said brightly.

He chuckled. "That's what I want to hear!" he whispered.

Bunny then popped up from one of his tunnels right behind me and I moved aside.

"Oh, I see how it is," he said, hopping out of the hole. "Work together to make sure the rabbit gets last place."

"Shh!" we hissed, pointing to Jamie's sleeping figure.

"You think I need _help_ to beat a bunny?" asked Jack, taking out his bag of teeth. "Check it out, Peter Cottontail."

"You call that a bag of choppers?" asked Bunny with a smirk. He held up his own larger bag. "_That's_ a bag of choppers."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, this is about Tooth, not the competition," said North. "But for the record . . . I win!" he added, dropping his even larger bag on the floor.

I smirked. "Nuh uh. Look out the window and tell me that that bag down there _isn't_ almost as tall as me," I said.

They all looked, and then they turned to me with gaping mouths and wide eyes. I fluttered my eyelashes at them.

"I think I win~ . . ." I said innocently. "And Toothiana is still here, which is really what matters. Shame on the lot of you for trying to sabotage each other," I added, shaking my finger at them.

"How in the bloomin' blazes did you even _carry_ that?!" asked Bunny, forgetting to be quiet.

All of a sudden, a flashlight beam shined right in North's eyes.

"Shit. You woke him up, Cottontail," I sighed.

Jamie gaped at them. "Santa Clause," he breathed before moving the light over the others. "The Easter Bunny . . . the Sandman . . . the Tooth Fairy!" he cried. "I _knew_ you'd come!"

"Surprise! We came, heh," said Tooth a little awkwardly.

"He can see us?" asked Jack, looking hopeful.

I bit my lip and sighed as Bunny said, "Most of us . . ."

I took Jack's hand as he looked down, giving it a quick squeeze. "Hey, just have a little faith," I murmured so only he would hear. "Your day will come; believe me."

"And you?" he asked in a tone as quiet as mine.

I gave him a light smile. "As long as you're happy, I'm fine with the hand I've been dealt," I replied.

"Shh, guys, he's still awake," said Tooth. Jamie shined the light at her and she raised a hand to block it from her eyes.

"Sandy, knock him out," said Bunny.

The short, golden man pounded his fist and I gaped before saying, "Sandy! Not that way! The sand, you baka!"

He gave me a sheepish smile and started to form a sand ball, but Jamie's greyhound came out of nowhere and started growling at Aster. His whiskers twitched a little, and I could tell he was trying not to run away. I had to bite back a slight grin at his expression.

"No, stop! What are you doing, Abbey? That's the Easter Bunny! DOWN!" said Jamie, trying to pull her back.

"Alright, alright, nobody panic," said Bunny, holding a paw out in front of him. I could tell he was only saying that so he himself wouldn't panic.

"Uhm, Aster, you _do_ know that that's a greyhound, right?" I asked.

"Do you know what greyhounds _do_ to rabbits?" asked Jack with a smirk.

"They don't put a fake rabbit ahead of them in greyhound races for nothing, you know," I added.

"I think it's pretty safe; she's never met a rabbit like me," he said, trying to get his confidence up. "Six foot one, nerves of steel, master of Tai Chi and-"

He was interrupted by Jamie's alarm clock going off (courtesy of Jack) and making Abbey lunge at him. "CRIKEY!"

He and Abbey ran around the room, and I went to the safest place I could think of: Jamie's closet. I hid in there and left the door open a crack so I could see what was going on.

Pretty soon, Dream Sand was going everywhere and people, and animals, were knocked out. Bones were above Abbey's head, carrots over Bunny's, candy canes over North's, and teeth were over Tooth's and Baby Tooth's.

I sighed and exited the closet as the carrots from Bunny's dream grabbed the candy canes from North's and began dancing with them.

"Oh, I really wish I had a camera right now!" whispered Jack, lightly chewing on his finger as he grinned.

I snickered. "Yeah . . . But really, though, try not to scare Bunny like that again," I said, giving him a smirk. "The poor Pooka nearly shit himself. Am I right, Sandy?"

The short man smiled and shook his head in an exasperated manner. He then looked past us and his eyes widened.

_Shit . . . the NightMares! Pitch! No way in __**HELL**__ am I letting Sandy die! Even though he'd still come back, but NO! I won't let them go through losing him!_ I vowed to myself.

Jack turned and saw the NightMares as they flew off. He grabbed my hand and pulled me outside with him.

"Come on, Sandy!" called Jack. "We can find Pitch!"

We chased after the NightMares, and Sandy caught up to us a few seconds later, riding a golden cloud of Dream Sand.

Jack laughed and a dog barked at us as we flew by. I gripped my katana's hilt and drew it, watching the moonlight glint off of the blade.

"Pitch is gonna be begging for mercy when I'm done with him," I said darkly. "Damn creep practically stripped me with his eyes last time he saw me . . ."

Jack ceased laughing and growled lightly. "I know. I won't let him get to you, Skye, I promise."

His words made me blush lightly and my heart jumped a little in my chest. _Oh shit . . . god . . . no, this can't be what I think it is . . ._

My thoughts were cut off as we split up. Jack and I chased one NightMare while Sandy went after the other one. We followed it on top of a building, and Jack shot it with an ice blast as it jumped up to the tall roof next to us.

"Haha! I got it!" cheered Jack.

I rolled my eyes and followed him as he went up to inspect it. I knelt down to look at it as well.

"Almost reminds me of a vampire horse I saw on deviantArt one time," I said.

"Sandy! Hey, Sandy, did you see that?" called Jack. He came over and poked it with the end of his staff. "Look at this thing," he murmured.

"Frost? Skye?"

We turned around sharply to see Pitch standing there. Jack moved me behind him and tried to freeze the Shadow-walker, but disappeared.

"You know, for neutral parties, you two seem to spend a lot of time with those weirdos," said Pitch conversationally from another roof above us.

"This isn't your fight, Jack, Skye," he finished.

"You _made_ it my fight when you stole those teeth!" said Jack, pointing his staff up at him.

"And thus it also became mine," I said, gripping my katana. "No one fucks with my friends, asshole."

He sighed and gave me a smile. "Again, I'm _loving_ your fiery attitude, Skye~ . . . And the teeth? Why would you care about the teeth, Frost?" questioned Pitch.

A golden glow appeared behind him, and he turned only to see Sandy and jump about ten feet away before composing himself. "Now _this_ is who I'm looking for . . ."

I watched in great amusement as Sandy proceeded to lash out at him with his Dream Sand whips, ducking when Pitch brought out his scythe.

Soon, though, Sandy had Pitch at his mercy and was tossing him up, down, and all over the place. He then threw him down into the street. I let out a loud laugh and joined Jack as he flew up to stand beside Sandy.

"Damn, Sandy. You have as bad a temper as I do," I chuckled. "And I'm bloody half Scotch. That's saying something."

"Remind me never to get on _your_ bad side," said Jack, smirking at the short man. "Or your's," he added, grinning at me.

I giggled and jumped down to the street where Pitch was lying, recalling that _this_ was when things started going bad. Jack and Sandy landed next to me and Pitch scrambled to get up.

"Okay, easy, you can't blame me for trying, Sandy," he said, scooting back. I rolled my eyes and he went on. "You don't know what it's like to be weak, and hated, and it was stupid of me to mess with your dreams," he said, standing up.

"So I'll tell you what," he concluded, his tone dark, "you can have them back."

and with that, black sand spewed out of a manhole cover, and faint whinnies and neighs surrounded us in echos. NightMares came out of the woodwork, it seemed, and surrounded us in black droves. The three of us stood back to back to back, and I pursed my lips.

"I'll take the left, Sandy takes the right, and you take the center?" suggested Jack.

"Done deal," I said, readying my katana.

Pitch rode in front of me and smirked. "Boo."

And with that, the NightMares attacked. I sliced a few as I heard the sleigh from overhead, and I grinned.

"Looks like reinforcements have arrived," I called, cutting down a few more NightMares.

Sandy then grabbed Jack and I, shooting up into the sky like a golden firework and letting us go to take the fight in the air.

This gave me a wider range of mobility, and I made sure to stay near the Master of Dreams so I could try and prevent his temporary death. I saw Tooth, North, Bunny, and Jack all fighting the onslaught, but I had to cut my perusal short when a dozen NightMares rushed at me.

"Aw, hell no!" I said, slicing through them. I let the wind assist me in my movements, cutting down as many shadow creatures as I could.

I then looked up to see Sandy surrounded by a large ring of Nightmare Sand, and I paled when I saw Pitch standing slightly above him.

"SANDY!" I cried, rushing forward.

But I was too late.

Time seemed to slow down as I saw the black arrow hit its mark in Sandy's back, but when time started again, I found my voice.

"NO!" cried Jack and I in unison.

We both rushed towards the wounded Master of Dreams, letting the wind carry us. I felt the tears going down my face as I flew at Jack's side.

"Don't fight the fear, little man!" taunted Pitch.

I saw the black sand envelope Sandy, and then . . . no more touch of gold. None at all.

"No!" I cried.

"Sandy!" yelled Jack.

My grief, guilt, and rage washed over me like ice water, and I felt something inside me snap.

I let out a fierce roar, and in the back of my mind, I realized that it sounded much like one of the dragons on my body. Jack growled as well, and when Pitch took notice of us rushing at him, he sent his Nightmare sand at us in a large wave.

Jack staggered back a bit in surprise, but I kept going. As the black sand went to envelope us like it had Sandy, time once again slowed down for me.

I could see Jack sparking and glowing with white blue like in my peripheral vision, but what caught my attention was the odd, silvery glow coming from my dragon tattoos.

They glowed brighter, and I let out a fierce, dragon-like roar once more. At this, my tattoos literally _flew of of my skin_, still glowing silver and growing in size as all three of them rushed at the wave of black sand alongside Jack's large ice beam.

Both Jack's ice and my dragons hit Pitch dead in the chest, and I gave a feral grin as i watched him plummet.

Then, I closed my eyes and felt myself falling . . .

~ 3rd P.o.V ~

Jack watched in surprise as The Nightmare Sand disintegrated and Skye's dragon tattoos morphed back onto her skin. When he went to ask her how she did such a thing, he felt woozy and began to plummet alongside his best friend.

He weakly reached his hand out for her's, and he grabbed it before the sleigh caught them. They landed with a thud, and Skye groaned a bit in her unconscious state.

"Jack, ho-how did you two do that?" asked Tooth.

"I didn't . . . I didn't even know I could," he said. He looked down at Skye's sleeping face, which was resting on Bunny's lap. "I . . . I had no idea Skye could either . . ."

Jack took a few breaths and righted himself. As he sat up, he took Skye and placed her on his lap while letting her katana rest on the floor of the sleigh. He laid her head on his shoulder, holding her princess-style.

She whimpered and nuzzled closer to him, her warm breath dancing on his chilly skin.

He felt his cheeks turn a light blue, but held her a little tighter as North tossed another snow globe to open a portal to the North Pole.

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Yay, updates. Wanted to make this one as good as I could get it. I'll start on the next one pronto ^_^


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The first thing I felt was the soft blankets covering me. The second thing was the cold.

I groaned lightly and opened my eyes. At first, everything was a bit blurry; but after blinking a couple of times, my vision cleared.

I was laying in a large bed, it had to at least have been a queen size. I glanced everywhere and realized that I was in North's workshop at the Pole, given the room's color scheme. I relaxed into the bed once more, and then the memories of what happened came back.

I bit my lip and felt my eyes prick with tears. "Sandy . . ."

"Skye?"

I looked to my right and saw Jack sitting there and holding my hand. He looked like he had just woken up as well, given the fact that he covered his mouth on a quiet yawn.

"Jack . . ." I breathed. "I'm glad you're alright."

He gave me a slightly forced grin. "I should be saying that to you, Ryuu. You gave me a bit of a scare when you started following the laws of gravity."

I snickered once and then slowly sat up. "Ughh . . . . my head . . ."

"Easy there, Skye," he said, helping me sit up. "You landed in the sleigh a bit hard."

I nodded and then let out a shuddering breath. "Sandy . . ."

A tear fell down my face and Jack wiped it away. "I know . . ." he murmured.

I got up and out of the bed, using Jack's shoulder to steady myself. I went and sat in a chair near the window and Jack joined me. I spotted my mp3 on a nearby table and grabbed it, putting it to a song that I felt I had to sing, even if it was to let out my emotions.

"Of all the money that e'er I had  
I spent it in good company.  
And all the harm I've ever done,  
Alas it was to none but me."

"And all I've done for want of wit  
To memory now I can't recall.  
So fill to me the parting glass;  
Goodnight and joy be to you all."

"So fill to me the parting glass,  
And drink a health whate'er befalls.  
Then gently rise and softly call:  
Goodnight and joy be to you all."

"Of all the comrades that e'er I had,  
They're sorry for my going away.  
And all the sweethearts that e'er I had,  
They'd wish me one more day to stay."

"But since it fell into my lot  
That I should rise and you should not,  
I'll gently rise and softly call:  
Goodnight and joy be to you all."

"Fill to me the parting glass,  
And drink a health whate'er befalls.  
Then gently rise and softly call:  
Goodnight and joy be to you all."

"But since it fell into my lot  
That I should rise and you should not,  
I'll gently rise and softly call:  
Goodnight and joy be to you all."

"So fill to me the parting glass,  
And drink a health whate'er befalls.  
Then gently rise and softly call:  
Goodnight and joy be to you all."

"Goodnight and joy be to you all~ . . ."

By the time I finished, a few more tears had fallen down my face. I wiped them away as Jack made a picture of Sandy out of frost on the window.

"You know," he said softly, "I'm not sure if I've told you this before, but your voice is . . . really pretty."

I felt myself flush a little and I gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Jack."

A knock sounded on the door, and I heard North come inside.

"Are you two alright?" he asked quietly, coming over to us.

I looked up at him as Jack kept gazing at the frost picture he made.

"I . . . I should've done something," I murmured, looking back out the window. Jack nodded in agreement, taking my hand and giving it a light squeeze.

"Done something?" questioned North. "You both stood up to Pitch and saved us."

"But Sandy-" started Jack.

"Would be proud of the both of you," interrupted North.

Jack and I stood, Jack taking his hood off as North said, "I don't know who you were in your past life, Jack, but in this life you are Guardian. Both of you are Guardians."

"But how can I know who I am . . . until I find out who I was?" asked Jack. I gave him a gentle smile.

"You will, Snowcone," I said. "Ya just gotta have a little faith."

North chuckled and put a hand on each of our shoulders. "That is the spirit!"

A yeti then came in and said something to North, then the large Russian left in a hurry. Jack and I exchanged a glance before following him.

As we floated down the hall, he looked at me. "How can you be so sure about stuff?"

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder. "Well . . . fate has a funny way of doing things, Jack." Like dumping me here after I died, I added mentally. "Something tells me that, with a little bit of faith in knowing that things will be okay, you'll get the answers you've been looking for."

He chuckled a little, then intertwined our fingers. "Thanks, Skye. You always know what to say."

I flushed and my stomach did flip-flops. "I-I try . . ."

We made it to the globe room, and saw the others gathered there and looking at the globe. It seemed to rotate slower than before, and it looked a bit . . . dim. The lights were also flickering and going out at a troublesome rate.

"Look at how fast they're going out," lamented Tooth.

As I watched each light die, I felt a piece of my heart break. It seemed that a lot of bad dreams could make a lot of kids lose faith and belief in my new-found friends.

"It's fear," said Jack as we floated over, observing the globe from above.

"He's tipping the balance," I added. "He's making them lose faith and belief . . ."

North and Tooth looked up at us with sad expressions, and then Bunny piped up.

"Hey, buck up, you sad sacks," he said, hopping over and standing on the control panel. "We can still turn this around. Easter is tomorrow, and I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and get those lights flickering again!" he concluded, turning to look at the globe.

Jack and I landed and I smiled up at the Pooka. "Damn straight, Cottontail," I said, silently vowing to make sure that some of the eggs made it out of the massacre I knew would occur. "We gotta have hope!"

He hopped down and bumped his paw against my shoulder with a grin. "You said it, sheila."

With our spirits a little bit lighter, we made our way to the elevator. "Bunny is right," said North, getting his coat on.

We rode down in the elevator, and North sighed. "As much as it pains me to admit, old friend, this time, Easter . . . _is_ more important than Christmas."

Bunny gaped. "Did you hear that?" he asked, looking at Jack, Tooth, and I as we exited the elevator. "Did everyone hear that?"

I giggled and swung mine and Jack's clasped hands. "Yes, Bunny, we did. Honestly, though, I think they're _equally_ important, but for different reasons."

"Everyone, to the sleigh!" cried North.

"Oh, no. My Warren, my rules," said Bunny with a smirk. "Buckle up."

North gaped as Bunny tapped his foot twice, and I groaned. "Shostakovitch!" cursed North as we fell.

I held onto Jack's hand for dear life as we went down the tunnel, and I groaned as Jack laughed.

"God, I'm gonna feel drunk after this," I moaned.

Jack only laughed louder. "Come on! This is fun!"

And with that, we flew out of the hole and I wobbled in midair, my head spinning.

"Kami wa, watashi wa tawagoto no yō ni kanjiru . . . Toppu no yōna watashi no atama no kaiten . . . Watashi ga suwaru koto ga dekiru jimen dotchidesu ka?" I said.

Jack snickered and helped lower me to the ground. "There ya go, Ryuu."

"Arigatō . . ." I murmured, breathing deeply and closing my eyes.

"Haha, 'buckle up'. Is very funny," said North as he sat up.

Bunny chuckled and I opened my eyes to look around. "Welcome to the Warren!"

I took in all of the lush greenery, and I smiled softly. _Now THIS is a spring haven . . . so beautiful. The movie really didn't do it justice at all . . .__  
_

Then, Bunny turned around and listened sharply. I bit back a grin, since I knew what was going on.

"Somethin's up," he said.

Everyone except me went on high alert. I idly played with the hilt of my katana and decided to hover above the entrance of the tunnel they were looking at.

"Guys, I really don't think there's anything to worry about," I said with a smirk. They looked skeptical, but I held up a hand.

"Seriously, just wait for, like, 30 seconds," I said. "Trust me."

Sure enough, Sophie came out holding a bunch of the little walking eggs. They all gaped at each other, and Sophie dropped the eggs she was holding to chase after the elf that got sucked down with us.

"Sophie?" questioned Jack.

"Elf elf elf!" cried the little girl, chasing around the little man.

"What is _she_ doing here?!" questioned Bunny, looking like he was about to start ripping his ears off.

"I thought I saw a little snow globe fall out of your coat when you were knocked out at Jamie's, North," I said, hovering above the Russian with my head tilted back. "That lil cutie is Jamie's sister. Must've snuck into Jamie's room and found it."

"Ahh," he said.

"Crikey, somebody _DO _something!" cried Bunny, looking between Jack and I.

"Hey, don't look at us," said Jack, raising his hands in front of him. "We're invisible, remember?"

"Hehehehe elf hehehehe elf!" giggled Sophie, dragging the poor creature on the ground by its bell.

"Don't worry, Bunny, I bet she's a fairy fan," said Tooth, flitting over to the little girl. "It's okay, little one!"

"Pretty!" cried Sophie, letting go of the elf as she smiled up at Tooth.

Said fairy smiled and flitted lower to be a little more at level with the blonde girl. "Aww~! You know what, I've got a surprise for you," she said. She held out her hand which had teeth in them and I quickly flew over and covered her mouth.

"Tooth, trust me, nothing you could say about those teeth will make them appeal to Sophie as much as they would to you," I said. I uncovered her mouth and shrugged. "No offense, Toothy, but I don't think this lil cutie would like anything covered in blood or gums."

Tooth smiled sheepishly and Jack chuckled as Sophie ran after some walking eggs to play peekaboo with them. "Blood and gums? When was the last time you guys actually _hung out_ with kids?" he asked as he floated over to sit on an egg.

"We are very busy bringing joy to children," said North. "We don't have time . . . for children," he finished, realizing how wrong that statement sounded.

I sighed. "Oh, woe is me. You lot need to loosen up and get out more. You'll turn into hermits if you keep that up."

Jack chuckled. "Exactly. If one little kid can ruin Easter, then we're in worse shape than I thought . . ."

He made a single snowflake and it floated in the air before hitting Bunnymund square on the nose. Blue sparkles shined in front of his face for a second, and then he smiled.

I turned to Jack with a grin. "Well, now you've gotten the rabbit to loosen up. I think it's my turn to set the mood, don't you~?"

He laughed and leaned back on the egg he was perched on. "Go for it, princess."

I grinned and rifled through my mp3, then my grin widened as I stopped on the perfect song for preparing for Easter.

"Ohh . . . Ohh . . .  
Underneath the snow  
Beneath the frozen streams,  
There is life~ . . .  
You have to know,  
When Nature sleeps, she dreams;  
There is life~ . . . !"

"And the colder the winter,  
The warmer the spring!  
The deeper the sorrow,  
The more our hearts sing!"

"Even when you can't see it  
Inside everything~ . . .  
There is life~ . . ."

"Ooh . . .  
After the rain,  
The sun will reappear;  
There is life~ . . .  
After the pain,  
The joy will still be here;  
There is life~ . . . !"

"For it's out of the darkness,  
That we learn to see!  
And out of the silence,  
That songs come to be!  
And all that we dream of  
Awaits patiently~ . . . !"

"There is liiiife~ . . . !"

"There is life~ . . ."

"Ooooh~ . . ."

As I sang, I awaited already painted eggs and picked up one at a time, painting on the kanji for 'hope', or in my father's language, 'kibou'. Because, after all, Easter was a holiday of hope; and it was also Bunny's center.

Bunny hopped over to me while keeping an eye on Sophie. He looked over the eggs I completed as they walked towards the tunnels, and I caught him smiling slightly at my little added details, aside from the kanji.

"Ya know, Skye, you ain't half bad at painting," he said, sitting next to me.

I gave him a grin. "Thanks, Aster. Oto-san made both Luka and I learn calligraphy, and he taught us how to properly write kanji. I figured that it would give the eggs a bit of an added flare."

He watched me paint a few more, then said, "You don't talk much about your mum, I noticed. Frostbite mentioned that, too."

My hand stilled for a second, and I let out a sigh before finishing my current egg. "No, not really. Oka-san, uh . . . she passed away four years ago," I murmured. "It was a, uh . . . it was a very dark time for me and Luka . . ."

"Crikey. Sorry, sheila," he said, his ears drooping a bit.

I gave him a half-smile. "Hey, if anyone here knows about losing family, it would be you. No need to be sorry; you had it a lot worse than I did, that's for sure."

His eyes clouded over for a second, and then he nodded. "Yeah . . . But, ah, what happened? To your mum?" he asked, changing the subject.

I bit my lip and shivered slightly. "She was . . . she was murdered," I muttered. "A coworker who was in competition with her for a promotion at the publishing industry she worked at caught her in the parking garage . . . She put chloroform to her nose, and she passed out . . . The police spared me the details, but when they found Oka-san . . ."

I shuddered and clenched my fists. "Let's just say that she was . . . in more than one place."

"Crikey," breathed Aster. "That's . . . that's awful, Skye . . ."

I took a few breaths and calmed down enough to look up at him; he looked a bit pale under his fur.

I smiled a little. "It bothers me and gets to me at times, but . . . Oka-san is still with me. Her beliefs are still with me. Her father, my grandfather, is a Druidic High Priest. My Oka-san was pure-bred Scottish. While I may speak Japanese, Oto-san let her teach my sister and I her people's religion."

"And interestingly enough," I said, brightening a little more, "Easter, or Ostara as it is known to my mother's people, is a very important holiday. Birth of new life, new beginnings . . . Bringing hope and helping people keep faith."

Aster smiled and gave me a one-armed hug. "Right you are, sheila."

I saw Sophie getting a bit tired, and I chuckled as she came a few inches from falling into the color river. "Uh, Bunny, I think you might want to check up on the lil cutie," I said, pointing to her wobbling figure.

He followed my finger and his eyes widened before he jumped up and hopped over to her. I chuckled and stood as well. I saw Jack float over to the Pooka as he held the little girl, and I knew they were having their heart to heart.

~ 3rd P.o.V ~

"Not bad," said Jack as he watched the eggs start to go towards the tunnels.

Aster cradled Sophie in his arms and looked at the winter spirit with a smile. "Not bad yourself."

"Look, I'm sorry about the whole 'kangaroo' thing," said Jack, smiling sheepishly.

The Pooka chuckled. "It's the accent, isn't it?"

Jack giggled and nodded. "Yeah, to be honest."

Bunny rolled his eyes, then looked at Jack with curious eyes. "Hey, Frostbite . . . are you n' Skye together?"

Jack raised a brow at him and tilted his head a little. "What do you mean?"

Bunny had to laugh at the boy's naivete. "Are you n' the sheila an item; all lovey-dovey, like."

Jack's face turned so blue that it traveled up to the very tips of his ears. "N-no! W-what gave you that idea?!"

Bunny grinned. "Ya can't pull the fur over my eyes, Frost, I know you're sweet on 'er. I see the way ya look at the sheila," he teased. "She looks at you the same way, too," he added, shaking his head.

Then, he became sober. "The sheila's got some heart in 'er, that's for sure. Don't know why she'd up and give it to a gumby like you, though," he finished with a grin.

Skye then floated over. "Why are you calling Jack a gumby, Aster?" she asked with a giggle. "What'd he do? Ask a stupid question?"

Bunny shook his head as the others came over. "Nah, just calling it as I see it, to use your words, mate."

She rolled her eyes and settled next to the still slightly blue-faced boy. She looked over at Sophie with a soft smile.

"She reminds me of Luka at that age, almost," she murmured.

"Poor little ankle-biter. Look at 'er, all tuckered out," said Bunny, smiling down at the little sleeping girl.

"I love her," sighed Tooth, hovering next to Sophie with an affectionate gaze. "I think it's time we got her home," she said, taking the little girl from Bunny as he stood.

~ Skye P.o.V ~

_Oh geez . . . another plot thing that is gonna make me go cray_ cray, I thought to myself.

"How about I take her?" asked Jack, standing as well.

I hovered next to him and forced a smile on my face. "Good idea, Jack."_  
_

"Jack, no, Pitch is-" started Tooth.

"No match for this," he finished, holding out it staff.

"Which is why we need you here, with us," said Bunny.

I clicked my tongue. "What am I, chopped liver? As long as _I_ stay at least, you guys have got back up," I said. "Jack will be fastest; the Wind will carry them quickly."

Jack grinned triumphantly. "See? And don't worry, I'll be quick as a bunny," he said, miming a running motion with his fingers.

They reluctantly nodded and Tooth handed Sophie off to Jack. "Take Baby Tooth with you," she said.

I giggled. "I don't think the little one was planning on leaving Jack anytime soon. She's attached to him."

The little fairy smiled and twittered shyly before nuzzling against Jack's cheek. I had a slight moe moment. "D'awwwWWW~! She's so damn CUTE~!" I giggled.

Jack flushed light blue and cleared his throat. "Yeah, so, I'm gonna just-"

"Nope, you ain't leavin' yet, Snowcone," I said firmly. I grinned. "Not before promising me that you'll come back without being distracted. You have the attention span of a chihuahua on crack."

"I do not!" he said, frowning.

"Promise me," I said firmly.

He sighed. "_Fine_ . . . I won't get distracted . . ."

I patted his cheek (which was so soft and smooth, ohmyjesus) and grinned. "Good boy."

With that, he rolled his eyes and gave me a quick wink before flying off.

I sighed and shook my head. "It's like trying to deal with a 12 year old . . ."

North laughed and clapped me on the back, making me go forward a bit. "HAH! That is funny! Is he always like this?" he asked.

I giggled. "At times, yeah. But he's really fun to be around and he helped me adjust. He's the one who found me when I was reborn; that's why we're so close to each other," I said, drifting towards the tunnels with a sweet smile on my face. "I saved him from his 3 centuries of loneliness, and he saved me from enduring the same thing. He's my best friend."

Then, I turned to them with a serious expression. "Now, I have a feeling that we're gonna need to guard the tunnels. Guard them like they're Alcatraz, Fort Knox, and Buckingham Palace combined."

They nodded and Bunny hopped closer to me. "There's six tunnels; one for each populated continent. A couple a my egg gollums can take the two at each end. We can cover the other four."

I nodded once. "Sounds like a plan, Cottontail."

We each stood guard over a tunnel; I took North America, Tooth took Asia, Bunny took Europe, and North took Africa. For the first half hour, everything was fine.

But then, I heard a faint whinny coming from my tunnel and I drew my katana.

"Guys, they're coming!"

And then, the proverbial shit hit the fan.

NightMares flew out of my tunnel, then went after the other five. We all slashed and destroyed as many of them as we could, but it was like more and more just kept taking their place.

"Where the hell is Frost?!" called Bunny.

"I don't know!" cried Tooth.

I saw North dispatching a dozen of the shadow creatures with his swords, and I looked around in a panic.

_God, this is awful! Come on . . . THINK!_ I scolded myself. _What made your dragons power up in the first place?!_

I thought about different depressing or angering things as I fought the NightMares, trying to coax a reaction out of my dragons. When I got to the thought of what would end up happening to the children if they didn't find any eggs, something in me seemed to stir.

I looked at my right arm and grinned as tnhat dragon, at least, started to glow and began to come off of my skin.

"Time to get serious!" I cried. I put more force behind my slashes, letting out my dragon-esque roar.

As I did, that one dragon came off of my skin and glowed bright with silver light. The NightMares seemed to wwhinny in distress as they beheld it, and I grinned sadistically.

"Kōgeki!"

My dragon whooshed through three dozen of the NightMares, and I laughed in glee as I saw it take out a other dozen.

However, I soon began to feel weakened. My strikes became less agile and more sloppy, and then I finally collapsed to my knees on the lush grass, my dragon going back to my arm.

The last thing I saw was seven of the blasted shadow creatures swarming around me, and then it turned black. Pitch black.

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Yay, updates :)

But, on a more somber note, my family's dog had to be put down today. The poor boy had bone cancer, and we had no idea that that was what was wrong with him, and we took him to the vet today and she said that at that point, it was too late to try and operate. So, we had to have him be put to sleep.

That being said, I'll try to update as soon as I can, but don't get too mad at me if I take a little while. Okay?

Love you all lots,

vampireXgirl13X


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I felt the air move around me, and when it became still again, I stood in a room as dark as a cloudy, moonless night. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I gripped my katana.

"Pitch, stop being a fucking creeper and show yourself already, ya jerk!" I called out.

He chuckled before rising from the floor in front of me; as in, _right_ in front of me. I took a few steps back in disgust.

"The hell do you want, Pitch?" I asked. "Wasn't ruining Easter enough for you? And making Jack feel awful by luring him in with his memories?"

He raised a curious brow. "Well now, how would you know about that~?"

I rolled my eyes. "Puh-lease. You're so friggin' predictable it's nauseating. No, scratch that, you're just nauseating in general."

He feigned a look of hurt. "No need for the hurtful words, Skye. I only wanted to talk~ . . ."

"Well then start talking; the sooner you start, the sooner you'll shut the hell up and I can get the bloody hell out of this godforsaken place," I snapped as my eyebrow twitched.

He let out a happy sigh and smiled. "Now, _that_ is a wonderful attitude right there . . . You're quite a feisty one, Skye~ . . . I wonder why on earth you even hang around with those Guardians, anyways."

"Because they are my friends. And because Manny wanted me to, that's why," I said.

"Ah, but you see, I think it's something else entirely," he said, moving into the shadows and reappearing behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned in to whisper, "I think you're only there because _Frost_ is~."

I spun and put my katana to his throat. "You know nothing of my reasoning, Shadow-walker. Hurry up and say what you want so I can take my leave."

He back up and raised his hands in the universal 'keep calm' gesture. "Alright, alright," he said, walking around me as if he was a lion perusing his prey. "What I'm getting it is that I would like you to join me."

". . . What the hell kind of weed are _you_ smoking to think I'd even consider that?" This guy really didn't think straight, did he?

"Think of it, Skye," he said. "I've seen your powers; rumour has it that your voice caused the avalanche on Mt. Fuji. And your dragons~ . . ."

He trailed off before fading and reappearing behind me, stroking the dragon tattoo that was partially exposed on my stomach. "Your dragons are a force to be reckoned with~ . . . Such a shame that no one believes in you," he said.

I spun away from him once more and pointed my katana at his neck. "I don't _care_ if I'm invisible. I've gotten used to the lot I've been given, and I'm fine with the way it is," I said firmly. "Now, if you would indulge for a moment in those proper British manners you have hidden in the deepest pit of your being, I'd like to be shown the way out of this hellhole."

He looked at me sharply, his mouth a thin line. "Is that so? I see. As long as Frost sees you, you don't need anyone else, is that right?"

I felt myself flush slightly and he gave me a crooked, devious grin. "Ah, so I'm right . . . the little Dragon Warrior is in love with the Winter Brat."

I felt myself turn red. "N-no! Jesus, Pitch, why the hell do you even care?"

He pinned my katana arm behind me and caged me to his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me. "Maybe for once _I_ don't want to be lonely!" he said bitterly. "Maybe _I_ want to be seen! And not just by children!"

I struggled to get out of his hold, then stopped and let out a sigh. "Pitch . . . I know that it hurts, not being loved or seen," I said gently. "But you need to try and make things better for yourself in a way that _doesn't_ make you look like a douchenozzle. Now, please . . . . let me go back to my friends."

He gave me a look filled with bitter sadness, then his eyes clouded with anger and haughtiness. "No. I think I have a better idea."

And with that, we faded into the blackness.

~ 3rd P.o.V - 45 mins earlier ~

Jack flew down the tunnel that was beneath the old, rotted bed, ignoring Baby Tooth's worried twitters.

"Come on, I have to find out what that is," he said to her.

He looked around in slight shock and awe at the large, cavernous room. It was dark, with only a few shafts of bland light coming through. It was filled with hanging cages, and upon closer inspection, he could see that the mini fairies were inside them.

They twittered a little louder when they saw him and he flew up to one.

"Shh, keep it down," he said in a whisper. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you all out of here as soon as-"

_"Jack?"_

There it was again: that voice calling his name. He looked down to see the various tooth containers.

_"Jaaack?"_

"I can't," he murmured before dropping down to the large pile to rifle through them. He frantically searched for a container hat would have a face on it that resembled his own, but to no avail.

"Looking for something?"

Jack looked up sharply and saw Pitch's shadow. He shot and ice blast at it in anger, but Pitch only moved out of the way. Jack began to make chase, determined to get his hands on the Shadow-walker.

But with the way Pitch's lair was set up, it was almost like that painting of never-ending staircases, and one could never tell which way was up and which was was down. It only served to confuse Jack and anger him more, and he swore softly under his breath.

"Don't be afraid, Jack. I'm not going to hurt _you_," said Pitch, walking along the middle of a chamber Jack had just gone through.

The winter spirit flew over to the chamber and pointed his staff at him. "Afraid? I'm not afraid of you."

"Maybe not," said Pitch, "but you _are_ afraid of something," he added in a whisper as he took a few more steps away from Jack.

"You think so, huh?" taunted Jack.

"Oh, I _know_ so," said Pitch, turning slightly to look at the white-haired boy with amused eyes. "You see, that's the one thing I always know: a person's greatest fears . . ."

He then turned completely and gave Jack an evil grin. "And your's is that she'll end up hurt or in pain somehow~ . . ."

A large shadow enveloped Jack and he fell through a black hole, hitting the wall a few times on his way down. His staff had been knocked away from him, and he felt around for it as Pitch chuckled ominously.

"But the worst fears are that she'll never feel for you what you do for her, and you'll be invisble to her, just like you are to everyone else~ . . ."

"You're afraid she'll leave you, and go off with the Guardians," he went on as Jack ran and began to breathe harder, both from the exertion and the fear tat had begun to nip at his heart. "and then you'll be all alone, just like before . . ."

"You want to keep her to yourself, protect her from everything," taunted Pitch, making shadow figures of both Jack and Skye appear on the wall; it showed him holding her close, his arms around her waist and his lips at her forehead.

"But you're scared, scared that she'll realize just how much of a freak you are," said Pitch, having the shadow figure of Skye push the one of Jack away and run away from him.

"Because you have no idea why," continued the Shadow-walker. "Why you were chosen . . ."

Jack closed his eyes and tried to block out Pitch's words, but to no avail.

"Well, the answer is right here."

Jack opened his eyes to see Pitch holding out a tooth box that had a portrait of a smiling boy with laughing brown eyes and tousled chestnut brown hair. Jack gazed at it in wonder.

"Do you want them, Jack? Your memories?" asked Pitch a light, teasing tone.

He began to reach for them, but held back, cursing himself for breaking the promise he'd made to Skye. Pitch laughed a little and disappeared. Jack growled under his breath and gave chase yet again.

As he passed a wall, his own shadow became Pitch's, and he held out the tooth box tauntingly.

"Everything you wanted to know, in this little box . . ."

The shadow sipped away, and Jack went after it, his heart racing.

"Why _did_ you end up like this? Unseen, unheard, forever alone, unable to reach out to anyone . . ."

"Well, all except your little girlfriend," amended Pitch, his shadow swirling around Jack. "But even then, she still does't see _all_ of you, now does she~?"

"Leave Skye out of this!" growled Jack, though the fear was growing a little stronger in his heart.

Pitch gave a dark laugh. "Why should I? In fact, I'll do you a service and clarify things for you: she'll _never_ love you, and the Guardians will _never_ accept you; after all, you're not one of them . . ."

Jack staggered back and stood in front of Pitch's own Globe. "You don't know WHO I am!" he yelled, pointing his staff at the approaching Boogeyman.

"Of _course_ I do," said Pitch with a devious grin. "You're Jack Frost. You only create cold, bitter weather, you leave a mess wherever you go. Why, you're doing it right now," he added, tossing Jack's tooth case at him.

Said boy caught it on reflex and looked at Pitch with suspicion. "What did you do?" he asked in a whisper, afriad for both Skye and the Guardians.

Pitch began backing into a dark tunnel. "More to the point, Jack, what did _you_ do . . . ?"

He began laughing and Jack roared, going after him into the dark. He came into one of the tunnels at the Warren, and turned around with wide eyes.

"Baby Tooth!" he called, pounding on the stone that blocked his way.

"Happy Easter, Jack . . ." called Pitch in a haunting whisper.

Jack turned around and looked down in horror at the broken eggshells. "No!"

~ le time skip ~

Jack entered the field, seeing Bunnymund crouched on the ground. His entire being radiated misery, and Jack felt a stab of pain in his heart. Tooth flew over and placed a hand on Bunny's shoulder in comfort.

"Jack!" called North from behhind him. He whirled around as North asked, "Where _were_ you?!"

Jack looked around, alarm stabbing at him. "Wh-where's Skye?"

North shook his head. "NightMares attacked us, and the tunnels. They smashed _every_ egg, crushed _every_ basket; _nothing_ made it to the surface," he informed, sticking his swords into the ground and leaning on them. "And Skye . . ." He trailed off, shuddering. "She was nowhere to be found."

Jack, for the first time in his immortal life, felt cold. "What?" he asked in a stunned whisper.

"Jack!" cried Tooth in surprise, flying over to him. Some more of her feathers molted off of her, and the ones still on her body seemed . . . dim. As if they were losing life.

She gasped as she saw the tooth case in his hand. "Where did you get that?"

He didn't even look down at it; he was still trying to process that Skye was gone. His best friend . . .

"Where's Baby Tooth?" she asked, looking around for the little fairy in worry. He tried to explain, but his shock made it impossible for words to come out. She gasped once more, realization dawning on her face. "Oh, Jack, what have you done?"

"_**That**_is why you weren't here?" questioned north, taking a step forward. "You were with _**Pitch**_?!"

"No, no, please, listen," said Jack, finding his voice. "I didn't mean fort his to happen! And Skye-"

"He has to go."

Jack turned around in surprise at Bunny's words. "What?"

"We should have _**NEVER **_trusted you!" cried Bunny, swinging his fist back and having it come only a few inches from Jack's face before dropping it. His expression went form enraged to depressed.

"Easter is . . . new beginnings, new life," explained Bunny. "Easter is about hope, and now it's gone . . . Along with Skye . . ."

His ears drooped in defeat and sadness as he turned away from Jack, mourning the loss of someone who actually understood him and his center, and what he brought to the world; alongside the loss of the children's belief.

Jack turned to look at Tooth and North, who also looked shocked and pained. They, too, turned away from him and he sagged slightly where he stood.

_Maybe . . . Maybe Pitch is right,_ he thought. _All I do is make a mess . . . and cause pain wherever I go . . . Oh god, Skye . . ._

His eyes blurred as he looked at the ground in shame, taking out the small matryoshka doll center from his hoodie pocket. He gave it one watery glance, then let it drop to the ground before taking off swiftly into the sky, causing some of the leaves to fall from the trees.

_I let them down . . . I broke my promise to Skye, and now . . . now she's gone!_ he thought to himself as he flew. _The one person I care most about in the world . . . and it's MY FAULT she's gone! All for this stupid tooth box . . . _

_But still,_ he added, his tears falling down his icy face, _I still want to know who i was! Why do I care so much about that, when Skye is-!_

He paused in his thoughts, stopping slightly in mid-air. _Oh god . . . Bunny . . . Bunny was right . . . I . . . I love her . . . But now she's . . ._

He choked on a sob and continued flying. "GOD DAMMIT!" he yelled, the tears coming more swiftly now.

_I never even realized till now . . . and now I'll never be able to tell her . . ._

~ Skye P.o.V & le time skip ~

I was in darkness for awhile . . . Well, it seemed like awhile, at least.

But then, thank _god_, I was brought out of it. And then I promptly found myself encased in long, dark arms and looking at a very shocked, relieved, and angry Jack Frost.

"Jack!" I called out.

"S-Skye?! You-you're alive?!" he asked in shock.

I snickered a little as I struggled in Pitch's arms. "Heh, yeah. Didn't feel like dying a second time, ya know."

He sighed in relief and gave me a warm smile before looking up at Pitch with venom. "Let her go, _NOW_."

Now, I'd never seen Jack get truly angry before, but I swear to the Great Crone . . . He was damn _PISSED_.

Pitch only laughed and I heard a light twitter. I looked and saw that Pitch held Baby Tooth clenched in the hand that belonged to the arm trapping me.

"The staff, Jack," said Pitch firmly. "You have a bad habit of interfering."

"Jack, no, don't-!"

Pitch cut me off by having some black sand form a gag over my mouth. I glared daggers at the Nightmare King and growled.

"Now, hand it over, and I'll let them go," said Pitch in a deceptively gentle voice.

Jack grit his teeth and his staff glowed slightly with crystal blue light, but it faded and he sighed. He flipped his staff and handed it over to Pitch.

"Okay. Now, let them go," said Jack.

Pitch smirked. "No. You said you wanted to be alone, so _be_ alone."

I snarled behind my gag and stepped hard on his foot as Baby Tooth stabbed him with her nose.

He leaped back in surprise and threw the little fairy in rage. I ripped the black sand gag off of my mouth and went to draw my katana, but Pitch stopped me and took my beloved weapon. He held it with the same hand as he held Jack's staff, gripping my throat with the other and raising me off the ground.

"Ngh! *cough*"

"I've had enough of _you_, too!" he growled.

Then, he let me drop, taking my katana and slicing it in half with nightmare sand.

"AHH!" I screamed, gripping my chest; it was like I was having a heart attack, an upset stomach, and heartburn all at once. Now I knew what Jack would feel like. And to make matters worse, Pitch went and took a piece of my own katana and sliced at each of my dragon tattoos in various places.

As I bled, Pitch hit me with his black sand and shot me down into a chasm. I bounced off the walls slightly and landed with a hard thud. I was still conscious enough to hear Jack's yell of rage, and then his own light scream of pain as his staff was broken.

As Jack fell down into the chasm and landed next to me, I feebly tried to reach out for his hand. Pitch stood overhead and chuckled.

"A shame, really," he said, looking at me. "You were a very stunning woman . . . and he was a very useful pawn."

And with that, he tossed down our broken weapons.

They landed beside me on my other side, and I sent him a glare before he walked away.

I looked at Jack and scooted closer to him. I finally took his left hand in my slightly bloody right one and tried to shake him.

"J-Jack," I stuttered. "W-wake up . . . Come o-on Jack . . ."

He stirred, then opened his eyes and looked at me in alarm, then a little past me. "Oh god, Skye! Baby Tooth!"

I smiled a little as he leaned over me to grab the little fairy. "Hey, Jack . . ."

He leaned back and sat up next to me. I would have done the same, but with Pitch slicing at the dragon on my stomach . . . yeah, moving was out of the question unless I wanted to be hurtin' even more.

The little fairy sneezed and Jack sighed. "Sorry; I can only keep you cold . . ."

"Here, Jack," I said. "Let-let her rest on me; I s-still have some boy heat left . . ."

I took the little fairy in my non-bloody hand and rested her just inside the top of my shirt, near my heart, so she could warm up. She nuzzled into me and I chuckled lightly.

"I think I stole your little fangirl," I said to Jack. I gave him a soft smile. "I'm gl-glad you're alright . . ."

He looked over my injuries with a tortured expression. "God, this is all my fault . . . Skye . . ."

"No, stop th-that right now," I said firmly. "Things h-happen, Jack. And f-fate is funny sometimes . . . ya just gotta have a little f-faith . . ."

All of a sudden, he stilled, and a golden glow came from his hoodie pocket. He backtracked a little and took out his tooth case. I smiled.

"I think you sh-should see what happened n-now," I said. "I-I believe you put your h-hand on it, and it o-opens . . ."

I felt Baby Tooth nod in agreement, and he did as I suggested. He sat there for a few minutes, his eyes wide. then, he gasped loudly and looked between Baby Tooth and I.

"Di-did you guys SEE that?!" he asked.

"No, J-Jacky boy," I said, feeling the cold seep into me as more of my blood flowed out of me.

"I-it was me! I had a family! I had a sister! I _saved_ her!" he crowed, all excited.

I smiled. "And isn't it the m-most wonderful feeling?" I asked. "To save a l-loved one . . ."

He nodded, smiling brightly. then, a look of realization dawned on his face. "That's why! That's why He chose us!" he said. "We're Guardians, Skye!"

I chuckled and then sneezed. "Heh, yeah . . . I-I guess s-so . . ."

My eyes started to drift closed, and he looked at me in alarm. "Skye, no, don't close your eyes!" he said. "Please don't!"

I struggled to keep them open. "S-sorry, Sn-Snowcone . . . I-I'm a little t-tired . . ."

He looked over my wounds and then smiled. "Thank Moon, you're starting to heal . . ."

Sure enough, I could feel a faint itching coming from my injuries; a tell-tale sign that the cells were stitching themselves back together. After a few moments, the sensation stopped, and I only felt a little sore. And lightheaded; losing blood can do that, ya know.

I slowly sat up, and Jack helped me. He set me between his legs and laid me back against him. I relaxed and used his shoulder as a pillow until my body readjusted to the cold, like it was before.

I looked down at my tattoos and gasped in horror. "Oh no!"

Though the skin cells had healed, the ink in them was not replaced. As such, my tattoos were incomplete, the lines being disconnected here and there.

Jack took notice and winced. "Oh no . . . I'm sure they'll be fixed, too, Skye," he said. "Maybe it'll just take longer?"

I bit my lip. "I hope so . . . Now," I said, getting serious, "we need to get out of here. I have a fucking bone the size of a T-rex femur to pick with that Shadow-walking asswhore."

I could practically hear Jack grinning. "And what do you suggest, princess?"

I flushed a bit at the nickname. "W-well, if you say that my tats can be fixed . . . perhaps our weapons can as well?" I suggested, feigning ignorance. While I knew Jack's would be repaired, I really had no idea about my katana . . .

"Maybe," he said.

We both stood and Baby Tooth flew out of my shirt as we bent down to pick up our broken weapons. Jack went first, holding the two halves together and squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. The first time he tried, he pressed to hard and the pieces just wouldn't connect. He let out a noise of frustration.

"Shh, it's okay Jack," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Try again."

He sighed and nodded, and I took my hand away and he forcefully put the two halves together. Soon enough, the crack began to shine bright with crystal blue light, faint swirls of frost coming off of it. And sure enough . . .

"Woohoo! It's fixed!" he crowed, spinning in happiness. I giggled at his childish excitement, and he gave me a rakish grin.

"Okay, stop with the giggle-fest," he said wryly. "Your turn, princess."

I bit my lip, then looked down at my poor katana. "I'm not sure if it will work," I said quietly. "You've had your staff since you awoke . . . I only found this . . ."

"Hey, is that quitter's talk I hear?" he asked, poking my cheek. "The Skye I know never quits. She keeps up faith, thank you."

I rolled my eyes but smiled at him. "Alright, Snowcone. I'll give it a whirl."

He grinned triumphantly as I put my two halves together much like he did. I begged and pleaded in my heart for the Man in the Moon to grant me this one thing; to make me able to fight the oncoming battle.

Apparently he heard me, because I felt a surge of energy go through me and my whole katana started to glow. When the silver light faded, my beloved weapon had changed.

It was still a katana, but it was more . . . fancy, I guess would be the right word. The hilt was covered in woven dark orchid strands of silk, and had silver thread interwoven through it. The blade itself seemed to be made of pure silver as well, and had kanji near the hilt. I flipped it over, and it had Scots-Gaelic in the same place on the other side.

"What does it say?" asked Jack in an awed whisper as he spotted the markings.

I looked at each side closely, then smiled. "They both say the same thing: Faithful Warrior."

I gently placed it back into it's sheath, then took Jack's hand. "So, ready to kick some ass?"

He gave me a feral grin. "Hell yeah."

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This seems like a long chapter XD Hopefully you guys liked it; if you did, please let me know! ^w^

And I gotta give a lil shoutout to Illusa for her kind words and her lovely review; they meant a lot to me ^_^

Hell, shoutout to all the peeps who have reviewed so far; heaven knows y'all deserve some waffles drenched in Canadian maple syrup; the good stuff. *give u all said waffles*

Enjoy them waffles, my dears. Y'all deserves 'em.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

We flew out of the crevice, laughing and twirling in the air in excitement.

"Come on!" I called over the sound of the wind. "Let's get back to Pitch's lair and get those mini fairies out!"

Jack grinned and interlaced our fingers. "You got it, princess! I owe Baby Tooth one, anyways!"

I rolled my eyes and blushed bright pink, but still we flew on.

When we got to Pitch's lair, we went from cage to cage, opening the doors.

"Come on, let's go!" said Jack, waving his hand encouragingly.

They stayed still and twittered with frowns on their faces, just as I knew they would. "Jack, they can't fly," I said, floating over to him. "Look at the globe . . ."

He looked down and gaped slightly."The lights. They're going out."

I nodded solemnly, feeling my heart break more and more as each light went out. I actually ended up crying silently, and I had no idea why. I cleared my throat. "B-but, don't worry. We know at least _one_ kid that won't stop believing," I said giving him a watery smile.

He looked at my tear-streaked face in worry. "Skye, what's wrong?"

"I-I don't know . . . B-but it feels like my heart is breaking . . . I-I think it has something to d-do with the k-kids," I stuttered out. Then, only Jamie's light was glowing. "L-look!"

He followed my finger and then smiled brightly. "Jamie!"

I smiled more strongly and forced myself to get it together. "Ahem, alright then. Let's go see the shorty and make sure he stays safe. Pitch might go after him."

~ le time skip ~

We flew as fast as we could to Jamie's house; Baby Tooth stayed behind so she could keep an eye on her sisters and so she'd be able to show them where to go if they got their flying back.

When we got there, we peeked through his slightly open window and saw him talking to a stuffed bunny on his bed.

"So, if it wasn't a dream, and you _are_ real, then you have to prove it. Like, right now," he said to the bunny plushie.

"Poor kid," I murmured when the rabbit just sat there.

"Look, I believed in you for a long time, okay?" said Jamie, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "Like, my whole life, in fact. So you kind of owe me."

He picked up the bunny and looked at it earnestly. "You don't have to do much; just a little sign, so I . Anything at all . . ." he trailed off in a whisper.

When the rabbit still did nothing, he slumped. "I knew it," he whispered, dropping his bunny to the floor.

I began to feel that little tugging at my heart that I figured meant that he was about to stop believing. "Jack . . . do something . . ."

"I know, I know, lemme think," he said, the metaphorical wheels turning in his head; I could practically see the steam coming from his ears.

Then, he smiled. "Got it!"

He opened the window slightly, then slipped inside. He pulled me in as well, then froze one of the little window panes. Jamie turned around at the sound, and watched as Jack drew a little Easter egg. Of course, to Jamie, it would look like it was drawing itself.

The boy looked at the window in shock and awe, then to the bunny on the floor. I giggled.

"My turn, Picasso," I murmured. "Freeze the one above it, please?"

He smiled and did so, and Jamie stood on his bed, in awe at the sight of the frost spreading. I giggled once more, then drew a realistic bunny rabbit, adding in Aster's boomerang holster for good measure.

Jack grinned as Jamie whispered, "He _is_ real . . . !"

Then, Jack put his hands in front of the rabbit and made it come off of the window. It bounded all over Jamie's room, and the three of us all laughed as it left a short, light blue trail wherever it went; almost as if it was a little frost comet.

then, it went out with a light 'poof', making it snow lightly. I giggled and held a hand out to catch a few snowflakes.

"How pretty . . ." I murmured with a light smile.

Jamie looked amazed and a little confused. "Snow?"

I put my arm around Jack's waist. "No, it's rain," I said a little sarcastically.

Jack covered his mouth to muffle his laughter, and then we heard Jamie murmur, "Jack Frost . . . ?"

Jack looked a bit stunned. "Did he just say . . . ?"

"Jack Frost?" said Jamie once more, standing up on his bed.

Jack seemed to stunned to even process what was going on. "H-he said it again . . . He said . . . You said . . ." he muttered in shock, slipping form my hold and going a little closer to the boy.

Jamie turned completely around to face us, and his eyes went as wide a dinner plates as he gaped. "Jack Frost."

"Y-yes! That's right! That's me! Jack Frost! That's _my_ name!" he said, stumbling a bit in surprise.

I giggled at his joy. "Yes, it's a good thing you know your name, Snowcone," I said dryly. "And even better that _he_ knows it," I added gently.

He gave me a look and I just grinned. Jamie kept looking at Jack with wide eyes, and then Jack's jaw dropped a little.

"W-wait . . . can-can you hear me?" he asked. Jamie nodded, and Jack let out a few gasps of surprise. "Can-can you _see_ me?!"

Jamie nodded again, and Jack grinned and turned to face me; I could see faint tears of joy in his eyes. "He sees me! He _sees_ me!"

His joy was infectious, and I felt a few tears of joy in my eyes as well. "Yes . . . I know. All you needed was a little faith, Jack . . ."

Jamie came out of his stupor and grinned at Jack. "You just made it snow!"

"I know!" said Jack, grinning as he faced Jamie once more.

"In my room!"

"I know!"

"You're _real_?!" asked the boy, his voice squeaking a little.

"Yeah! Who do you think brings you all the blizzards? And-and the all the snow days?" asked Jack, calming down a bit. He then smirked. "And remember when you went flying on the sleigh the other day?!"

"That was you?!" asked Jamie, all excited.

"That was me!" said Jack proudly.

"Cooool!"

"Right?" sad Jack, laughing a little. I chuckled and lounged on Jamie's desk, letting them have their fun. It also felt wonderful to be near someone who had so much faith and belief in their heart; it was as if it was a balm for my own, considering that it was still aching over the rest of the kid population losing those two qualities.

"And what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and the-" started Jamie.

"Real, real, real, every one of us is real!" said Jack with a wide smile.

"I knew it!" said Jamie as he jumped up and down on his bed.

Jack turned to look at me. "I . . . I can't believe he sees me, Skye!"

Jamie looked at him in confusion. "Who?"

I sighed and smiled softly at Jack's dismayed expression. "It's okay, Jack. I'm fine with not being seen," I murmured. "As long as you're happy, I am, too."

Jack got a stubborn look on his face, then turned to Jamie with a smile.

"You can't see her, but my best friend, Skye, is here, too," he said.

I got off the desk and looked at him in shock. "Jack?! The hell are you doing?!"

"You said that if I'm happy, you are, right?" he asked me as he raised a brow. "Well, I won't be happy until you're believed in, too."

The very thought that he cared so much about me made me turn bright red and a few tears fall down my face. "Jack . . ."

"I can't see her because I don't believe in her?" asked Jamie. "What does she look like?"

Jack flushed a baby blue, then cleared his throat. "W-well, she's a few inches shorter than me . . . She's got really long, dark orchid purple hair that looks really pretty at sunset, and her eyes are silver like moonlight. Oh, and she also has these really awesome dragon tattoos, and a Celtic cross one on her upper left arm. She carries a katana, and she's really sweet and nice and fun to be around."

By the end of that, I was effectively speechless and red from the tips of my ears down to my collarbone. _W-wow . . . I-I ne-never knew h-he thought th-that about me . . . Wow . . . _

Jamie grinned. "She sounds AWESOME! What can she do?!"

Jack grinned. "She can make cool sound blasts with her voice, and she can sing like an angel," he said, looking at my red face and giving me a wink; I could see he was blushing a bit as well. He looked back at Jamie and added, "And her dragon tattoos? They can come off her skin and become like dragons made of moonlight! Aside from being a totally fierce swordswoman, of course."

"Jack, if you keep complimenting me like that, I'll never return to my normally pale complexion," I grumbled, covering my face.

Jamie, not hearing me, looked around in wonder. "Where is she?"

Jack pulled me over and put an arm around my shoulders. "Right here. Skye," he said, looking at me, "see if you can do something to make him believe."

I bit my lip, then looked at my tattoos. As Jack had surmised, the ink was just taking longer to replenish, for there were some faint markings beginning to come back.

I tentatively held out my right arm, where my Asian dragon was, and concentrated. _Please, Moon . . . please . . . _

Again, the Moon must have been feeling in a generous mood tonight and answered me by making my dragon glow silver. I laughed in happiness, overjoyed that my tats were back in action.

Said dragon came off, and Jamie's eyes widened and followed it around his room; it stayed small, and I curiously reached out with my will and told it to become a little bigger. It did so, and I gaped.

"Well . . . that's new," I said.

Jamie looked around. "Was that her? I can hear her."

My eyes widened, and I went forward. "R-Really? You can hear me?"

He nodded, and Jack grinned. "Awesome! Why don't you sing something, Ryuu?"

"Well . . . alright," I said, flushing a little. I searched on my mp3, then found a good song. "Jamie, this song's in Japanese; just so you know."

He nodded, and I started playing it and sang along.

"H-h-happii shinsesaiza kimi no mune no oku made  
Todoku youna merodei kanaderuyo-o-o."

"Hakanaku chitta awai kataomoi  
Waraibanashi dane ima tonareba.  
Miru mono subete kagayaite mieta  
Ano hibi ga kirei ni waratteruyo."

"Gaman suru koto dake oboe nakyaikenaino?  
'Otona ninatte choudaine?' naranakute iiyo.  
Shiranai koto bakari shira nainante ie nakute  
'Taihen o niai de' usotsuite gomenne."

"Happii shinsesaiza kimi no mune no oku made  
Todoku youna merodei kanaderuyo.  
Tsumaranai 'tatemae' ya ya na koto zenbu  
Keshite agerukara kono oto de."

"Nanno torie mo nai boku ni tada hitotsu  
Sukoshi dakedo dekiru koto.  
Kokoro odoraseru kazaranai kotoba  
Denshion de tsutaeruyo."

"Suki ninaru koto rikutsu nankajanakute  
'Kojitsuke' nante iranainjanai?  
Jidai noseito akirametara sokomade  
Fumidasa nakucha nanimo hajimaranai."

"Gomenne yoruosokuneru to korodattadesho?"  
Odoroita watashi mo kakeyoutoshiteta.  
Kokoro no uragawa wo kusugurareteru youna  
Hikareau futari ni shiawasena oto wo."

"Happii shinsesaiza horane tanoshi kunaruyo  
Namida nuguu merodei kanaderuyo~.  
Tsuyogaranakutatte iinjanai? Betsuni  
Jibun ni sunao ninarebaii~."

"Nanno torie mo nai boku ni tada hitotsu  
Sukoshi dakedo dekiru koto.  
Chotto tereruyouna tanjunna kimochi  
Denshion de tsutaeruyo~."

"Happii shinsesaiza kimi no mune no oku made  
Todoku youna merodei kanaderuyo~.  
Tsumaranai 'tatemae' ya ya na koto zenbu  
Keshite agerukara kono oto de~."

"Nanno torie mo nai boku ni tada hitotsu  
Sukoshi dakedo dekiru koto~.  
Kokoro odoraseru kazaranai kotoba  
Denshion de tsutaeruyo."

"Happii shinsesaiza horane tanoshi kunaruyo  
Namida nuguu merodei kanaderuyo~.  
Tsuyogaranakutatte iinjanai? Betsuni  
Jibun ni sunao ninarebaii~."

"Nanno torie mo nai boku ni tada hitotsu  
Sukoshi dakedo dekiru koto  
Chotto tereruyouna tanjunna kimochi  
Denshion de tsutaeruyo~."

When I finished singing, Jamie's eyes were actually focused on me, and I brought a hand to my mouth.

"Y-you can s-see me . . . ?" I asked in a whisper.

He nodded, his cheeks a bit pink. "Wow . . ."

I turned a bit pink as well. "W-what?"

He looked at Jack with a slight frown. "You didn't tell me she was _this_ pretty!"

My dragon went back to my skin and I cleared my throat. "We-well, my supposed high level of attractiveness aside, we gotta-"

"Jamie?" called his mom. "Who are you talking to?"

He looked at Jack and I, and we both nodded in encouragement.

"Uhh . . . Jack Frost and Skye?" he called back.

After a second of silence, she laughed a little. "Okay," she said, her tone a little disbelieving.

He looked at us with a grin and we all started laughing. Then, a large clap of thunder sounded out and I jumped.

"Iesu Kirisuto no seinaru kuso!" I yelped.

"Hey, no swearing in front of the ten year old," scolded Jack playfully.

"I do what I wanna, Snowcone," I teased back, sticking my tongue out.

All of a sudden, the unmistakable sounds of the sleigh could be heard. I turned to Jamie.

"Okay, Shorty, get your coat and boots on; and don't forget your hat," I said in a motherly tone. "We're gonna have to keep you safe, alright? So that means going outside to meet up with North and Tooth."

He nodded once like a little soldier and started getting ready. "We'll meet you outside," I said.

Jack and I looked out the window and saw the sleigh crash-land and the reindeer run away.

"Ah, moir dieti, come back!" called North. He slumped a bit in the sleigh and Tooth held his arm.

"North, are you okay?" she asked. Jack and I soundlessly floated down to the front lawn.

"Is official: my powers are kaput," said the Russian, standing on unsteady feet.

Jack looked at me. "Hide behind the car, okay?" he whispered.

"Uhm, alright . . . ?" I breathed back, doing as he asked. I made sure I was still able to see them, though.

Tooth looked up at Jack and gasped, letting North go and making the large man fall on his back in the sleigh.

"Jack!" she cried, fluttering out of the sleigh. She dropped to the ground with a light 'oomph'. "Jack!"

Jack helped her stand. "You okay?" he asked when she was on her feet. I could faintly see shadows under her eyes, and North's as well when he stepped out of the sleigh, using one of his swords as a cane.

"What are you doing here?" asked the large man.

"Same as you," answered Jack, turning to face the door a Jamie came out. The boy was about to say hi to me, but I put a finger my lips and told him to just keep going. He looked confused, but did as I asked.

He looked at North and Tooth, standing still for a moment before running over to them.

"The last light," said North, amazement on both his and Tooth's faces.

"Wow! It is you! I mean, it is you!" cried Jamie in delight, taking North's hand and shaking it. "I knew it wasn't a dream!" he said, looking back at Jack.

North and Tooth looked surprised. "Jack . . . he _sees_ you," said the large man softly.

Jack nodded and lightly bumped Jamie's shoulder. "Yeah; and I've got another surprise for you."

He looked over at the car and waved me over. I grinned and floated to his side, smiling at the stunned faces of my weary friends.

"So . . . sup?" I asked.

"Skye?!"

I looked towards the source of Aster's voice. "Yes, Aster, I'm alive. Come on out."

He hopped out, looking all small and cute. He looked up at me with slightly watery eyes, and then leaped up. i caught him in my arms and he hugged me as best as he could.

"You scared the bloody blazes outta me, sheila!" he said.

"_That's_ the Easter Bunny?" asked Jamie, coming over to me. "What happened to him? He used to be huge and cool, but now he's . . . cute."

North looked at me in surprise, and I smiled. "Yes, Jamie can see me."

I then stifled a giggle as Bunny began to hum in happiness as Jamie scratched behind his ear. "I'm guessing that Easter being a flop really took it's toll on the poor Pooka. Isn't that right, Cottontail?"

He looked up in slight confusion, then realized what Jamie was doing and lightly whapped at his hand. "Right, _now_ somebody sees me," he said. "Where were you about an hour ago, mate?! And I'm not cute!"

I lightly bopped his nose. "Ey, be nice. And you do look quite cute, Aster."

The little bunny then looked at Jack and leapt from my arms, holding his little paws up as if he was gonna fight.

"Did you tell them to say that, Frostbite?! That's it, let's go, me n' you! Come on!"

Jamie crouched down next to him. "No, no, actually, he told me you were real, just when I started to think that maybe you weren't . . ."

Aster looked stunned, then looked between Jamie and Jack with watery eyes. "_He_ got _you_ to believe . . . in me?"

Jamie, nodded, and Aster looked up at Jack with a grateful smile, which Jack returned. Then, another clap of thunder hit. Aster jumped up into my arms again.

We all looked up to see Pitch coming on a large cloud of black sand. Jack gave me a stern look.

"Skye, get Jamie out of here," he said. "Keep yourselves safe."

I bit my lip and nodded, and he went up to confront Pitch. I scooped up Jamie and flew beside the other Guardians as they rushed away.

"Will Jack be alright?" asked Jamie, eyes wide in slight fear.

I gave him a tender smile. "Hey, it's Jack. He'll be fine; he's a class A butt-kicker."

"This way!" said Bunny, leading us through the streets. We ended up at a dead end, and he backtracked. "Other way OTHER WAY!"

Just then, Jack fell from the sky and landed on a nearby dumpster. I set Jamie down and flew over to him.

"Jack ohmygod AREYOUOKAY?!" I asked hurriedly, helping him stand.

"Yes, Skye, i'm alright," he said, standing.

"That was god try," said North, patting him on the back. "A for effort."

"He's stronger," said Jack. "I . . . I can't beat him."

I gave him a firm look. "Is that quitters talk, mister?" I asked. "Iie, I won't stand for it. We'll kick his you-know-what together, Jacky boy."

He gave me slight smile, and then Pitch's evil chuckle rang out. "All this fuss over one little boy, and he _still_ refuses to stop believing . . ."

Jack and I put Jamie behind us, and I drew my katana quickly, making it ring.

"Very well . . . There are other ways to snuff out a light," continued the Nightmare King, his shadow destroying some of the street lamps. Jamie whimpered slightly in fear, and I reached back to place a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"If you want him, you're gonna have to go through me," said Bunny, hopping forward and standing bravely. Although, I hate to admit, the sight was more ridiculous than anything else . . .

Pitch chuckled and a large shadow hand appeared on the ground. "Look how fluffy you are; would you like a scratch behind the ear~?"

Bunny hopped away quickly and sat in North's hand. "_Don't_ you even think about it!"

NightMares soon came forward, and I growled deep in my throat like my dragons. They slightly hesitated, as if remembering what I did to them before. I smirked, but then frowned as they kept coming forward.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this," taunted Pitch. He then rode forward on a NightMare. "You look _awful_," he said, giving us an evil, toothy grin.

My eyebrow twitched. "You're one to talk, anata kuso mesu roba rokudenashi!" I snapped. "Seriously, when was the last time you looked in a mirror? Or did it break so badly that you couldn't bear to face one ever again?"

He glared at me, then made his shadows encroach on us even more. Jamie whimpered, and Jack and I both turned to look at him.

"Jack . . . Skye . . . I'm scared," he said. "P-please, hurry . . ."

We both knelt down to be at his level. "Hey, it's alright," said Jack, putting a hand on Jamie's shoulder.

I patted his head and gave him a half-smile. "Yeah, have a little . . . faith . . . in us," I said, trailing of as realization dawned on me.

"Yeah, cuz we're gonna . . . have some fun instead," said Jack in a whisper. We looked at each other.

"That's it!" said Jack with a grin. "That's my center!"

"And mine, too!" I added, grinning.

Pitch chuckled and Jack and I stood, determination on our faces. "So, what do you think, Jamie?" asked the Shadow-walker. "Do you believe in the-"

WHAP!

"Oooh, nice shot," I said. "Ten points." I laughed at the confused expressions on a couple of the NightMares' faces.

Jamie let out a laugh, then stopped, looking a bit guilty. The others laughed as well, and Jack tossed a snowball in his hand.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, chuckling. He looked over and saw some garbage can lids, a large wok, and a few other things. Then, he smirked and looked down at Jamie. "Let's go get your friends."

~ le time skip ~

The Guardians and Jamie rode down the streets and through the air on the things from the alleyway while Jack made a stream of ice for them to follow. I flew beside Jamie to make sure he wouldn't fall off or get hurt, but the lot of us were having loads of fun!

"Woohoo!" yelled Jamie.

I laughed. "Yup, I hear ya! Jack did this for me a week before Christmas! It was totes awesome!"

Jack chuckled and went to my side, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers. "I remember that! That was loads of fun!"

I giggled. "You got that right, Snowcone!"

We went to each of Jamie's friend's houses, getting them to come outside by any means necessary. At one point, I let all of my dragons ride in the air with us, and used them to get the children to see me. The feeling of being believed in was AMAZING! Nothing I'd ever felt could compare! Well, except maybe one thing . . .

The lot of us went down the street, but then stopped and looked up in alarm at the large cloud of nightmare sand that was encroaching on the city. Those who were on sleds, makeshift or otherwise, stood and gaped at the dark shadows.

Pitch stood at the top of one of the buildings in front of us. "You think a few _children_ can help you against _this_?" he asked.

My dragons circled around me and I growled. "I don't _think_; I _know_ for certain!"

North tried to lift his sword, but the weight of it was too much for him in his weakened state. He slumped and Tooth put a hand on his shoulder as Pitch cackled. Jack and I looked at the children, and I saw they were absolutely petrified.

"They're just bad dreams, Jamie," said Jack in a soothing tone.

"They can't hurt you, guys," I said softly with a smile.

"We'll protect you, mates," said Bunny, putting himself between the oncoming NightMare wave and the children. The rest of us followed suit, with Jack and I at the head.

"Aw, you'll protect them," taunted Pitch. "But who will protect _you?_"

I saw Jamie stand tall out of the corner of my eye as he moved in front of Jack and I.

"I will," he said firmly.

"I will," echoed Cupcake, brushing past us.

"I will," chimed Claude and Caleb in unison.

"And me," said Pippa.

"I-I'll try," said Monty, still looking a bit apprehensive.

Pitch glared at the children through narrow eyes. "Still think there's no such thing as the Boogeyman?"

The nightmare sand rushed at us faster, creating a large tidal wave that was about to crash upon us. I took Jack's hand and squeezed it, then felt him squeeze back.

"I do believe in you," said Jamie. "I'm just not afraid of you."

Just as the tidal wave was about to hit, Jamie held his hand up, and turned his head slightly. When the sand touched his hand, it turned that familiar golden yellow . . .

_Sandy!_ I cried mentally.

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Yey another update ^w^ Hope you all like it :)


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The golden Dream Sand spread out through the air in long, shimmering streams. The children were in awe at the sight, and I squealed.

"Sandy!" I cried with a grin. I then looked between Jack and Jamie. "Come on! We got some work to do!"

The streams of Dream Sand turned on the remaining nightmare sand, turning it golden. Pitch watched all of this with a look of horror and rage on his face, and I admit to feeling a certain level of smugness at that fact. the dream sand spread throughout the town, sending good dreams to all who slept.

Tooth then gasped as her wings suddenly began flittering again, smiling as she took to the sky and began flying.

"Whoo, yeah, Tooth Fairy!" cried some of the children.

North also began to look stronger, and his color came back to his cheeks as he stood proudly and held up his swords. "HAHA!"

"Alright!" cried Monty.

I giggled as well until I heard Pitch order his NightMares after us. I growled as they came and brandished my katana.

"Oh no you don't!" I yelled. My dragons went after a few while I slashed at some others. Jack froze a few as North opened a couple of portals. As the yetis ran out, the children gaped in wonder. By this time, I guesstimated that Bunny would be back at full size and- Yup, there were his egg gollums.

Jack then grabbed my hand. "Let's go put Pitch back in his place, shall we?" he asked, a smirk on his face and a warrior's gleam in his eyes.

I grinned fiercely. "You got it, Snowcone!"

We flew up to the rooftop next to Pitch as he looked around in utter disbelief; it seemed he didn't count on us putting up much of a fight, heh.

When Pitch noticed us, he gave us a glare and we charged at him. My tribal dragon was with us while my other two were helping the Guardians and the children, and he swirled around my katana as I swung back.

Jack shot a blast of his ice at the troublesome Shadow-walker, but he dodged and took off on the NightMare he was riding.

We went after him, and he threw an attack of nightmare sand at us. I sliced at it with my Dragon Katana, and it turned golden. Jack kept firing icy blasts at the Nightmare King as we cornered him on a rooftop.

The other Guardians showed up and helped us attack Pitch and the flock of NightMares he had gathered. I was about to be hit by a small blast of black sand, but Tooth flew in front of me and blocked it with her long, golden dagger.

"Dōmo Toothiana arigatōgozaimashita!" I called out to her as I sent my dragons at a few NightMares.

"Dō itashimashite!" she replied.

Pitch, realizing he was getting his shadow ass handed to him, decided to try and make an escape. However, when he rode off the roof, North was coming towards it and slashed away the NightMare he was riding.

Pitch made a noise of frustration and formed his large black scythe in his hands, attacking North on the street. Bunny then hopped down and assisted him, and I flew down as fast as I could.

I let loose all three of my dragons against Pitch, and he shrunk into the shadows. Jack and Tooth flew down, and the lot of us looked around alertly, trying to figure out where he would pop up.

And wouldn't you know it . . . he just _had_ to choose to sneak up on _me_.

I sensed him and turned around just in time to block his scythe with my katana, and h then made our surroundings into shadow.

"Fucking hell, Pitch, you don't know when to take a hint!" I growled, pushing against his scythe.

He glared at me and pushed harder. "You and Frost are the ones who wouldn't keep your nose out of other peoples' business, you little dragon bitch!"

I deadpanned, an my eyebrow twitched. "_What_ . . . did you just call me?" I asked in a deadly quiet voice.

Something in my tone must have alerted him to my rage, because I got this look of 'oh SHIT' for one split second before schooling his features. "You heard me."

I then gave him a deadly glare. "Call me that again. I **_DARE_**you."

". . . Dragon bi-"

I cut him off with a loud dragon roar, throwing him away from me on a burst of energy that flowed through me. The shadowy surroundings faded away, and I went after his stumbling figure with murderous intent.

"NO ONE CALLS ME A BITCH, YOU FUCKING ASSWHORE!" I yelled, slicing at him.

He only barely managed to dodge, and then I let loose my dragons, hopping on the back of my Asian one as Pitch gathered more NightMares. I seethed and had my dragons push through them, turning them into more golden Dream Sand.

I jumped off the back of my dragon and fought Pitch with a new fervor. I could hear the others fighting NightMares in the background, and then Jack appeared at my side to help me. And boy . . . was he **_PISSED_**.

We both went after Pitch like we were possessed, firing attacks at him like there was no tomorrow. However, Pitch finally regained some ground and fired a large wave of black sand at us, and we were plowed over.

He stood over our lagging forms, his scythe at the ready. But when he was this close to beheading us, a golden whip wrapped around the scythe. I let out a breath of relief.

"Sandy."

Pitch was pulled back into the air and Jack rose, then helped me stand. We followed where Pitch went and saw a medium-sized whirlwind of Dream Sand. Bunny, Tooth, and North stood beside us with hopeful grins. We all exchanged a glance, then ran towards where the cloud was.

When we got there, the children stood in front of the Master of Dreams and Pitch was currently falling to the earth at a fast rate.

"SANDY!" we exclaimed, running over to him.

He smiled at us and waved, then North picked him up and tossed him in the air a little.

"Mate, you are a sight for sore eyes," said Bunny in a relieved voice.

"Welcome back, old friend!" cried North.

I floated and hugged Sandy close. "Dammit, don't scare us like that again, got it?!" I said, smiling as I pulled back. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep Jack and Bunny in line without you around," i added with a giggle.

"Hey!" said the two aforementioned boys.

Sandy silently chuckled and patted my cheek before floating over to Jack and patting his head affectionately.

I happened to glance over at Pitch's sleeping form, then burst out laughing at the little butterflies flapping around his head as he dreamed.

"Pff!" I covered my mouth and poked Jack and Bunny. "Hey, guys, look!"

They followed my gaze and erupted into laughter.

"Oh my god!" wheezed Jack in between guffaws.

Sandy rose on his little dream cloud and began distributing good dreams to the world once more, and I let out a sigh of happiness at the sight. But it didn't stop there: the dream sand went into the remaining NightMares, turning them into new, golden dream animals. I saw Cupcake stop in front of one and poke it's nose, turning it into a unicorn.

A large long-neck dinosaur walked over us, and I looked up at it in wonder.

"Wow . . . it's so beautiful!" I said, my dragons going back into my skin.

"Yeah; it sure is," said Jack, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers.

I blushed lightly and turned to see him a little blue in the face as well, a little smirk of a smile on his face.

Then, a stream of sand went in front of us, and I grinned at it before running my hand over it. It began to take shape, and I felt my eyes widen and fill with tears as the new figure stood before us.

"Oka-san . . ." I whispered, my voice choked.

She smiled wordlessly and I went forward to hug her. "I miss you so much . . . *sniffle* . . . Goddess above, I really do . . ."

She patted my hair and then pulled back a bit before looking over my shoulder at Jack. She gestured for him to come closer, and he came to my side, a little awed and confused.

"This is your mom?" he asked me.

I nodded, smiling as I wiped my eyes. "Y-yes. This is my Oka-san, Siobhan Morgana Okumura," I said.

The figure of my mother nodded her head at him with a bright smile in way of greeting and his eyes widened a bit. "Uh, p-pleased to meet you . . ."

She seemed to chuckle, then took my right hand and Jack's left one, placing them together and giving us a warm smile. She patted Jack's head, then kissed my cheek, before turning back into a golden stream.

"S-sayonara, Oka-san," I said, smiling as more tears fell down my face.

Jack wiped my eyes and was about to say something, but then a snowball hit him right in the face.

I gaped, then covered my mouth in an effort to keep in my giggles. "O-okay, who *pfft!* who threw th-that?" I asked, looking at the children.

Jamie grinned. "Well, it wasn't the Easter Bunny, Skye," he said, throwing a snowball at me.

It hit me on the shoulder and I grinned as Jack cleaned his face off. "Oh, you are _so_ done for, Shorty!" I said, grinning wide.

We all gathered snow and began a large snowball fight. Even the elves, mini-fairies, and yetis joined in. Jack and I hid behind a tree for a break, panting from all the fun.

North found us and chuckled at our slightly rugged appearances. "Your centers?" he asked us, raising a brow as he smiled.

Jack and i shared a glance before smiling back up at the large Russian. "Eh, it took us awhile," said Jack.

"But, we finally figured it out," I said. "Truth be told, I kinda knew Jack's all along; I just wanted you to figure it out for yourself, though," I added, looking at him.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. North laughed and looked at me. "I admit that I had a feeling as well!" he said. "But your's . . . is mystery to me."

I giggled. "It was to me, too. But . . . I suppose I should have guessed," I added, my smile softening. "My Oka-san always told me that I had a level of faith that astounded even her . . . So it is no surprise that I should be the one to guard it in children; hell, in _all_ people."

North smiled, then tossed something to Jack. I looked and saw that it was the little matryoshka doll of him, with mischievious eyes and a playful smile on its face. North looked at me.

"I make yours when we get back to the Pole," he said.

I chuckled. "Of course, Saint Nicholas."

Then, a snowball hit the back of his head. He turned to see the twins, Claude and Caleb, pointing to the elf in between them as they laid the blame.

The large man laughed and gathered his own snowball. "You all on Naughty List! Hey Bunny, think fast!"

And that was how the Guardians joined in on the fun. Jack and I got up and got back in the game as well, mainly aiming for each other.

Bunny saw this and grinned before calling out, "Alright, lovebirds, stop ya gogglin' and flirtin'!"

We both flushed bright, and that was the moment Pitch woke up.

"You _dare_ have fun in my presence?!" he questioned angrily. Jack and I looked over at him as he went on. "I am the Boogeyman, and you will _fear_ me!"

He then rushed at Jamie, but the boy only went right through him. Pitch gasped. "NO!"

Bunny, Tooth, North, and Sandy joined us in our perusal and I smirked.

"Oh, so sorry, Pitch," I said in a falsely sweet voice. "It appears as though you're invisible. It's like you don't even exist . . . I'd say it was a shame, but my mother always told me that lying is wrong~ . . ."

He growled at me and I let my gaze sharpen. "You really wanna start shit again, ya bloody Shadow-walker? I'll beat your nightmarish ass into next fucking century."

Jack snickered. "I wouldn't test her, Pitch; she's not one to make false promises."

Pitch then got this fearful look on his face, then ran away. I rolled my eyes.

"Ten bucks says he's heading towards the lake," I said.

"I'll second that," said Bunny.

And with that, we went to the lake and made it there before Pitch. The guy ran into North's stomach and splayed out on the ice.

"Leaving the party so soon?" asked the large man with a smile.

"You didn't even say goodbye," lamented Tooth in a fake sweet voice, tossing him a coin.

He caught it as he stood and looked at it in confusion. "A quarter?"

She then was right in front of him, and socked him a good one in the jaw, making a tooth fall out.

"And that's for my fairies," she said primly, shaking her aching hand as her little fairies tweeted in agreement.

"Oooh~! Lovely right hook, Toothiana!" I said, clapping.

Pitch growled. "You can't get rid of me! Not forever!" he said passionately. "There will always be fear!"

North laughed. "So what? As long as one child believes-"

"And has faith in us," I added, smiling.

"We will be here to fight fear," finished North.

Pitch's face actually showed some true, sincere fear and loneliness that i had to relent a little.

"You know, Pitch," I said gently, going towards him, "I meant what I said before: I know it hurts being lonely, and being unloved. But you have to have faith in the fact that you could make things better for yourself in a way that doesn't make you hated."

"Fear is necessary," I said to the group at large. "Fear can give someone a final push to do something they've been holding back on, it can make people realize that, yes, they have weaknesses; they aren't invincible. But if you make them too afraid," I went on, looking back at Pitch, "then you only defeat your true purpose, Pitch."

"And you know what?" I asked with a small smile. "I might've pretty much tried to kill you,, and I've hurt you in more ways than one, just as you've hurt me and the others, but despite all that, I feel sorry for you. I feel sorry that you feel as though you're no better than some evil, psychotic asshole. But," I added, grinning wider, "I have faith in you. I have faith that you'll see one day just what your real purpose is."

He and the others seemed stunned by my words, but no one was more stunned than him. A flicker of hope flashed across his face for an instant before he schooled his expression back to its normal evil one.

"You dare to pity me?!" he asked, enraged. "And as for being able to fight fear, what are _they_ doing here, then, hm?"

We looked around and saw that we were surrounded by NightMares. I sighed; this was the part that made me feel a little bad for the Shadow-walker.

North laughed. "They can't be my NightMares; I'm not afraid."

Jack got a look of understanding on his face as I went back to his side. He gave Pitch a smug smile. "Looks like it's _your_ fear they smell."

He gasped in horror, and then scurried back a few steps. "No . . . NOOO!"

The NightMares rushed at him, and as one went past me, I stopped it and whispered, "Don't block his hole from me; I want to be able to visit him and help him . . ."

It looked at me with one molten eye, and I swear it nodded at me before going back to its attack. I smiled and sighed in relief; at least I'd be able to try and make Pitch realize his own true center.

The NightMares dragged Pitch away, and then I heard a voice.

_You did well, Skye . . ._

I looked around in alarm, then froze. _Moon . . . ?_

_*chuckle* Yes._

_Why did you transport me here?_ I asked him. _Why me? And why before the events of the movie?_

_Because I knew . . . I knew you would be able to change things for the better; you have such a skill to make others feel worthy,_ he explained. _Even though Pitch is misguided, you are right in assuming that he does not know his true purpose yet . . . You can help him find it._

_And . . . And Jack?_ I asked, feeling my face turn a bit pink.

_Ah yes. *chuckle* Jackson Overland Frost . . . I could hear his cries for answers, and for a reason why he was so lonely and unseen,_ he said. _You were sent also to help him, as well. As for how your heart calls out for him . . . That was something I did not see coming. But I am glad that that was one of the outcomes. There are not many spirits of your physical age in this world, and Jack needs someone to care for who will not see him as a child._

I blushed more and grinned, looking up at the full moon. _Thank you, Moon. Thank you for this second chance at life. But . . . Wi-will I ever be able to see my sister? Or my Oto-san? A-and . . . Oka-san's grave? I . . . I miss them so much . . ._

_In due time, Dragon Child, in due time,_ he said reassuringly. _I will show you how to travel between the worlds when the time is right._

I let out a sigh of relief, then saw Jack looking up at the moon as well. I grinned as i realized that Moon was talking to him, finally.

After a few seconds, North and the others walked over to us. "Are you two ready? To make it official?" asked North.

We shared a glance, then joined our hands and intertwined our fingers. "As we'll ever be, North," I said, looking up at the large man.

He smiled warmly and Phil brought out the large Guardian book. "Then is time for you both to take oath."

He opened the book and flipped a couple of pages as the children, eggs, other yetis, and the other fairies came out onto the lake.

North cleared his throat and Jack and I took a deep breath.

"Will you, Jack Frost and Skye Ryuuta, vow to watch over the children of the world?" he asked. "To guard them with your lives? Their hopes, their wishes, their dreams, and their faith?" he added, giving me a wink. "For they are all we have, all that we are, and all we shall ever be."

Jack smiled. "I will."

"Watashi ga shimasu," I said, grinning.

"Then congratulations, Jack Frost and Skye Ryuuta, for you two are now, and forever more, Guardians," said North with pride, closing the large book with a smile.

Everyone cheered for us, and I flushed in embarrassment.

"Yippa!" shouted North.

"Yeah, ya did good mate. You too, Skye," said Bunny patting my head.

I giggled and smiled up at him in thanks, then looked over as North cried, "Klasno!"

He then proceeded to pick Jack up, kiss both of his cheeks, and then set him down. I laughed at the stunned and slightly confused expression on Jack's face. Then, North turned to me.

"Your turn!" he said, picking me up and doing the same thing to me.

I laughed as he set me down. "Thanks, North," I said, rolling my eyes.

Tooth came over and hugged the both of us. "I'm so happy for you two!" she said in a bubbly voice.

Baby Tooth tweeted in agreement, kissing Jack's cheek and then mine. I grinned and squealed.

"D'AWWW~! You lil cutie~!" I cried holding her in my hand and nuzzling my cheek against her.

Sandy gave us both a thumbs up and a smile, which we both returned. Then, we heard the unmistable soound of the sleigh in the air.

"Yo guys, look!" shouted Caleb, pointing at the sky.

"It's Santa's sleigh!" said Monty.

We all looked up as the sleigh landed itself on the ice, the reindeer snorting a little and shaking their heads. The kids all ooh-ed and ah-ed over it, getting closer to inspect it further.

Bunny smiled and looked up at North. "Everyone loves the sleigh," he quoted.

North chuckled silently, then looked at Jack and I. "Time to go," he said. He nodded at Sandy, and the short man rose into the air, making dream sand fireworks.

"Whoaaaa," breathed the kids, reaching up as if to catch some of the falling grains.

Everyone said their goodbyes, and I saw Bunny saying his farewells to little Sophie. I had to smile at how much of a softie he was around her; he would've made a very good father if there was a female Pooka around somewhere . . . Hmm . . .

She then looked up and saw me, her eyes going wide as she gaped. I smiled and gave her a little wave, and she giggled. "Pretty lady pretty lady!"

"D'aww~! Come here, you!" I said, flying over to her and picking her up. I went back to Jack and saw Jamie talking to him.

"What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you or Skye or-"

"Hey hey, slow down, slow down," said Jack, kneeling down in front of the rambling boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You telling me you stop believing in the moon when the sun goes down?"

"No," answered Jamie thoughtfully.

I giggled. "Or the sun when the clouds block its light?"

He giggled as well. "Of course not."

"Then you don't need to worry, Jamie," I said, setting Sophie down next to him and kneeling just like Jack was. "We'll always be here for you, Shorty. Don't forget that."

"And now, we'll always be here, too," said Jack, pointing to Jamie's heart. "Which kinda makes _you_ a Guardian, too."

Jamie's face lit up and he smiled, his eyes sparkling. I chuckled and ruffled his hair as Jack and I stood.

we turned and began walking to the sleigh, our hands clasped once more and lightly swinging between us. the children then began complaining about being tired, and we heard Jamie call out, "Jack! Skye!"

We turned around just in time for the boy to plow into us gently, hugging both of our waists. The action surprised Jack and I, and we both smiled, kneeling down to hug Jamie in return.

"Always keep faith, Jamie," I murmured to him. "Always . . ."

We let him go, then Jack hopped up onto the sleigh's wing, holding out a hand to me. I took it and he swung me up, having me land beside him. We climbed into the back seat, and North snapped the reigns.

"HYAH!"

The sleigh took off, the sounds of the children's cheers coming from below. I linked arms with Jack, lost in my thoughts.

_This was such a wonderful adventure,_ I thought to myself. _But . . . the movie ended here . . . what happens now? _

Jack looked over at me. "Hey, what's wrong? You have a weird look on your face," he said, poking my cheek.

I rolled my eyes and gave him a smirk. "I was lost in thought, Snowcone," I said. "I guess I just don't know what to do with my life now. The past three days are sure to make everything else after this seem pretty damn boring."

"Is not so," said North. "We still need to finish getting believers back."

"Touche," I said, putting a finger to my chin. "Hmm . . . Perhaps I should do it."

"What?" asked Bunny.

"You know, with my singing," I said. "I can boost everyone's faith, and alongside Sandy's dreams, it would probably increase the believer quota by at least a third within the next nine months."

"Wait, nine months?!" questioned Jack. "You'd go off for nine months?!"

I smiled wryly at his gaping countenance. "Jack, there are a lot of people that I could reach out to to increase believers; teens, for example. After all, we should try to work for having a future with some adult believers who will teach their children right from the get-go that we're real."

North hummed in thought. "You know, Skye, you have point. Would not be so bad trying to have older believers."

Sandy, Tooth, and Bunny all nodded as well. I grinned, and Jack frowned at me.

"But . . . nine months?" he asked, seeming depressed.

I put a hand to his cheek. "Hey, don't be so down, Snowcone. You'd see me every now and again, most likely. And I'll keep in touch; it's not like I'll be cutting off from y'all completely."

North laughed. "Is true! But first, we take break. Last three days have been hell."

I giggled. "You got that right, North!"

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Aaaaaand, here's the ending of the movie bit! ^w^ And yes, I'll be continuing this to further develop Jack's and Skye's feelings for each other.

But I have a serious question for you lot, and I NEED everyone who reads this to answer:

Do you guys want me to have a lemon/lime of them in a future chapter/chapters?

If the majority say yes, I'll have to change the rating to M and I want people to be aware that that will happen. I won't do the lemons or limes until maybe a couple of chapters from now, so that gives you all some time to answer.

And I won't be extending this just for the JackXSkye stuff; it will also be to see how she and Jack bond with the other, older Guardians and maybe meet some other spirits as well. Not to mention Skye pretty much being Pitch's 'therapist' and stuff. So, still got a lot of things that are loose ends, wouldn't you say? :)

Until next time!

~vampireXgirl13X


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After a few days of rest, I woke up in my room at the Pole and stretched. I let out a breath, then got dressed and packed a few things in the bag the yetis had crafted for me. It was a messenger style bag, and had many pockets to hold various items. I packed a couple of extra sets of clothing, the toothbrushes and toothpastes that Toothiana had given me, and the little matryoshka that North had made me. It was like Jack's, only mine showed me holding my katana, blade down, between folded hands, as if I was praying.

As I zipped it up, I heard a knock on my door. "Come in," I called.

Not to my surprise, Jack opened the door and floated inside. He looked at my bag sadly, then his gaze turned to me. "Do . . . Do you really have to leave, Skye?"

I gave him a bittersweet smile. "I have to do what has to be done, Jack. And like I said, you'll see me every now and again," I said soothingly.

He clenched his fists at his sides, looking down. "But I won't see you everyday . . . I'll be alone again . . ."

I went closer to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. "Jack, you listen to me right now, and listen good: I will _never_ leave you for good, you got that? You're my best friend, my partner in crime. You're a big part of my life, Snowcone. A bond like that isn't easily severed."

He looked up at me with slightly teary eyes and smirked a little. "Partner in crime?" he questioned.

I giggled. "Dude, we 'borrowed' _how_ _much_ building supplies for my house near the lake?"

He let out a short laugh. "Point taken," he said, grinning. Then he sighed, becoming somber. "I'm going to miss you a lot, Skye . . . It'll be so hard going back to just being by myself again."

I pulled him in and hugged him close. "Jack, don't you get it?" I asked, smiling a little. "You _aren't_ alone anymore, even without me around. You have Sandy, Bunny, Tooth, and North. You are never all alone, Jack. Not anymore."

He hugged me in return, clinging to me as if he never intended to let me go. ". . . I'll hold you to that nine month promise, Ryuu," he murmured. "You better come back . . ."

"I will, Jack. I will," I whispered. "And when I do, I'll have something to tell you. Alright?"

He let me go and nodded, his expression showing confusion. "Alright. But, why don't you tell me now?"

I grinned a little. "Well, then, that wouldn't be as much fun, would it?" I asked playfully. "It will only make me that much more excited to return. And I'll keep in contact somehow, alright? Whether by Sandy, the mini fairies, or even Jamie."

He smiled. "Alright, alright. Have it your way. Come on; you need to eat before you take off."

I shouldered my bag and strapped on my katana. "Alright, Snowcone."

~ le time skip ~

When we went down to the dining room next to the kitchen, the others were already there. They looked up at us as we floated in, and I gave them a bright smile.

"Sup?" I asked, sitting down next to Bunny.

"So, today's the day, sheila?" he asked, eyeing my bag.

I nodded. "Yeah; the sooner I get started, the sooner I can return."

A yeti brought out our plates, and mine was laden with hardy foods that would keep my energy up for hours. I dug into the waffles and bacon, and Jack nommed on his maple sugar ice cream. Bunny eyed my bacon with slight distaste.

"How can ya eat meat, sheila?" he asked, taking a bite of his carrots.

I chuckled. "Sorry, Aster. I like my meat; but believe me when I say I respect all of Mother Nature's creatures. I adore animals. Except toads," I added, shuddering. "Them things creep me out."

When we all finished eating, North rose from the table.

"Skye, I have one last thing for you," he announced, moving to push out my chair.

I stood and looked at him in confusion. "Huh? What is it?"

He looked at me with a faint spark in his eyes and took out a small-ish pouch. "Well, we don't want you going hungry while you're out all over the word!" he said, placing the pouch in my hands. "This is magic pouch: will make any kind of currency you need to buy food and such."

My jaw dropped and I spluttered. "Bu-b-bu-but . . . . no, like . . . shit . . . Th-there's no way I could-"

He chuckled and grinned. "Consider it late Christmas gift, da?"

I sighed, then looked up at him with a wry smile. "Alright; but I'm giving it back when I return, got it? I won't need it after that."

He nodded and let out a booming laugh. "Of course, malen'kiy drakon!"

I rolled my eyes and gave him a hug. "I'll see you when I come back on New Year's."

I gave all of them a hug, ending with Jack. That one lasted longer than the others, and I felt my eyes fill with slight tears. I blinked them away before pulling back to look at him.

"Don't raise too much hell without me, alright?" I asked, plastering a grin onto my face.

He smiled, though his eyes were pained. "I won't make any promises, Skye."

I let out a short laugh, then hugged him close once more. Phil brought me out a snowglobe, and I took it in my hand, giving it a shake.

"Tokyo, Japan," I said as I tossed it. It opened the portal, and before I jumped in, I gave Jack a quick kiss on the cheek. I glimpsed his surprised, blushing face for a split second before I hopped into the portal, leaving my friends behind . . .

~ First Month ~

I had started off my quest in Asia, beginning with Japan and the surrounding islands and smaller countries. By the end of the first month, I had gained us 50 teenage believers and met a couple of other spirits.

One of them was Xihe; she was a Chinese spirit who was very, very old. She was actually in Chinese folk mythology, and had once had many believers. Physically, though, she was about 30. She was a sun spirit, who had powers of light and a little bit of fire.

The other was Padma, and Indian spirit who was physically 25, but in total years around 500. She was a spirit of inspiration, and her main focus was dance. In a way, she was like a Greek Muse, but a little bit different. She and I got along swimmingly, seeing as how song and dance go together hand in hand.

As I traveled, I caught up with a few of the mini fairies and had them send notes to the other Guardians, telling them about what I was doing. Sometimes, I got replies, and those made my day when they would come. And one time, a mini fairy even brought me a note from Jamie, saying how much he missed me.

While in India, I made a point to stop by Tooth Palace to say hi to Toothiana. When she saw me, she practically plowed me over and started babbling about how much she'd missed me.

"Toothy, it's only been about a month," I said, laughing as I pulled back.

"I know, but still!" she said, grinning. "How have things been going?"

I smiled smugly. "I got us 90 teenage believers, there, darlin'."

She gaped. "Whaaaat?! Really?! That's superb!"

I laughed. "Yup! And you'll never guess who I met!"

I told her in great detail about Xihe and Padma, and all the fun I had with them. I laughed as I told her about the little prank I'd pulled on Xihe (I'd scared the bejesus outta her by having my dragons sneak up on her) and how she had let out such a big blast of light that people thought that something had exploded. And I sighed in happiness as I told her how Padma had taken the time to help me learn how to dance in the traditional Indian style. I didn't learn everything, of course, but I'd learned the basics.

Tooth smiled. "It seems as though you've been just as busy as I have!"

I nodded. "So, may I join you for lunch before I have to skidaddle again?"

She nodded emphatically. "Of course, Skye!"

~ Second Month ~

The second month took me down to Australia, New Zealand, and the Principality of Wy. While there, I'd gained us another 15 teenage believers and even 1 adult! And the adult was actually one of the teens' parents, which was a big score for us Guardians. They were tickled pink to hear that the Easter Bunny was Australian, seeing as how they lived in Port Hedland.

I spent a lot of time in the micronation of Wy, loving the little artistic endeavors of the few residents who lived there. The children of the royal family even saw me, and proceeded to ask me to pose for some sketches. I had laughed and agreed, seeing as how it wouldn't hurt. The sketches came out very well, and I commended them on their work. When I asked them if they knew who Jack Frost was, they'd seemed confused.

"You don't know about Jack Frost?" I asked them in fake shock. "Oh, now this won't do at all!"

And with that, I told them about what Jack could do, and what he did for the world. As I told his story, I drew a picture of him as best as I could. When I was finished, I showed it to them.

"And _this_ is what he looks like!" I said proudly. "My bestest friend, right there."

"Wow," said Anna. "He's cute."

I blushed a little. "Yes, I know."

She gave me a grin. "You fancy him, don't you?"

I blushed a bit darker. "M-ma-maybe . . ."

She giggled. "Have you told him?"

"Not yet," I answered. "I'll be telling him on New Year's; I heard from another spirit I met that Novus, the spirit of New Years, throws a party every December 31st. I'm gonna tell him how I feel in the best way I know how: singing."

She patted my back. "Good luck to ya, Skye."

~ Fifth Month ~

By the time five months had passed, I had gained us many more teen believers, and a couple more adult ones. I'd made it through Africa and the Mediterranean area, and I was about to go into Eastern Europe. By this time, it was in the heat of summer and I had taken to travelling at night and resting during the day to conserve my energy. I was fun hanging around the old castles, though.

That being said, I decided to lounge about in Germany for a little vacation. While there, I met a storm spirit called Undrach. He was the first spirit I'd met that looked around the same physical age as Jack and I. He told me that he'd been a spirit for two hundred years, and we became good friends. Although he tried to flirt with me, I had to laugh and turn him down.

"Sorry, 'Rach," I'd said with a smile. "I already love someone else."

"Oh? Who?" he asked, curious.

I blushed a bit. "Not gonna say who, but he is a winter spirit and he's awesome fun to be around."

He laughed and ran a hand through his long blonde hair, his slate blue eyes dancing. "It's Jack Frost, isn't it Fräulein Drache?"

I blushed bright and cleared my throat. "Y-yes, it is. And you best not be telling him if you see him either; I plan on doing so at Novus's party."

Undrach laughed and patted my head. "I von't breath a vord, Skye."

~ Seventh Month ~

By this time, I had finished up Eastern and most of Western Europe. I was now heading to the United Kingdom, and I was VERY excited.

After all, at the end of the month was Halloween.

I'd heard through the grapevine that the spirit of Halloween was based in Britain, and I looked forward to meeting him. As the first week went by, a few more teenagers became believers, and I floated over Loch Ness in triumph.

"Ah, got another three in the bag," I said aloud.

"Got another three what, milady?"

I squeaked in surprise and turned sharply to come face to face with a boy who looked 19 with short black hair and orange eyes. He had tan-ish skin, and wore a black hoodie with an orange skull on it and a pair of silver-grey skinny jeans with black Doc Marten's.

"Oh! Uhm, hi," I said, smiling. "I was talking about getting three more teenage believers. I'm Skye Ryuuta," I added, smiling wider.

He chuckled. "I've heard about you; you're one of the two new Guardians, am I correct? Alongside Jack Frost."

I nodded. "Yup. I'm going to assume that you are the spirit of Halloween, given your clothing choice," I said, laughing a little.

He smiled and floated closer to me, bowing. "Damien Borcroft, spirit of Halloween, at your service, milady Skye."

I chuckled. "It's nice to finally meet a British spirit who has manners," I said with a grin. "Heaven knows Pitch wasn't very polite."

He looked at me sharply, straightening from his bow. "Pitch Black, you say? Ah yes, I heard that the two new Guardians helped defeat him."

I shrugged. "Well, we didn't really defeat him. He just kinda got his ass handed to him," I explained. I then sighed. "He really doesn't understand his true purpose . . ."

Damien nodded. "Yes, I know. I tried to tell him that when he was my mentor, but . . . *sigh* He wouldn't listen."

"You studied under Pitch?" I asked. "That must have been a bit hard; I can't imagine him being much of a tutor."

"I had to," he answered, lounging on his back in midair. "I have shadow powers like Pitch, but mine are different than his in a few ways. But he taught me to control them and how to scare people. I don't really like it, but my holiday is all about fright, and how it can be fun."

I grinned. "You bet! I love your holiday to pieces; I used to dress up with my little sister and take her out trick or treating. And then I'd mooch off of her candy when mine ran out," I added, giggling.

Damien chuckled and looked me over. "You look quite young; how old are you?"

"Physically, I'm 16," I answered. "But I've been a spirit for nearly a year already. Come mid-November, it'll be my first spirit birthday."

His eyes widened. "Why, you're just a baby! I'm close to 500, but I was 19 when I died."

I playfully stuck my tongue out at him. "Oh, hush you. I know I'm a baby compared to the lot of you. But I can totally kick butt, so that makes up for it," I said, grinning.

And the rest of October went as such; I hung out with Damien and we, too, became friends. When his holiday came, I wished him well and promised to see him at Novus's party before flying off across the ocean towards my last destinations: North and South America.

~ Eighth Month ~

I spent a lot of time in South America first, boosting up the teenage believer quota. I actually happened to cross paths with Sandy over Colombia, and I gave him the biggest hug ever when I saw him.

"Sandy!" I cried, hugging him tightly. "Man, I've missed you!"

I pulled back as a he made pictures over his head as if to say, 'Yes, I missed you too! How have you been?'

"I've been good, Sandy," I answered. "Going around the world has been wicked fun; I've gotten us a bunch more believers of the teenaged variety, and even a good dozen adults!"

He looked surprised, then grinned and clapped his hands, doing a little dance in his joy. He stopped, calming down a bit, then made a question mark above his head.

"How many? Uhm . . . for teens, I'd say around 500?" I guesstimated. "I'm not sure of the exact amount, but it's in that general area. As for adults, it was 15 the last time I counted. I still have to hit up North America, though, so those numbers will change."

He chuckled silently, then became serious. He made a picture of Jack above his head, and I looked at him in worry.

"Jack? What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?!" I asked, beginning to panic.

Sandy quickly shook his head, then made Jack again, and then a sad face with tears, and then me. It finally clicked.

"He misses me that badly?" I asked in a low murmur, my cheeks heating up.

Sandy nodded, then grinned when he saw my flushed countenance. He made Jack and I over his head, and then a heart in between us.

I felt my face heat up more. "S-s-so? I really like him . . . hell, I love him . . . I miss him a lot, Sandy," I admitted. "It might not hit me during the day very often, but . . . at night, or when I go to sleep, all I can see is his face. How sad he looked when I said I was leaving, and then his happy, grinning face when we became Guardians . . . God, I miss him . . ."

Sandy patted my head, silently telling me not to worry. I gave him a small smile in gratitude.

"You know, Sandy, you're a great friend," I said, ruffling his odd hair. I stretched, then gave him a wider smile.

"Well, I think I should find a kid that wouldn't mind me bunking in their room for the night; that's what I've been doing when I want some sleep," I said. "I'll see you and the others at Novus's party, alright? And . . . actually," i said, and idea budding in my head, "tell Tooth I'll see her at her palace the day before, alright? and make sure the others don't know. I want to be able to get ready for the party without being disturbed. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded with a smile, then shooed me off lightly. I giggled and saluted him.

"Tootle-oo, Sandy!"

~ Ninth Month ~

I flew up into Mexico, beginning my North American 'tour' there. Once I was through there, I moved on to Cuba and any of the islands on that side of Mexico. At the end of those ten days, I'd racked up another 5 dozen teen believers, and 3 more adults.

I moved on to Hawai'i next, soaking in the sun and the surf, taking paper and pencils to sketch the dolphins I would see at times. After all, I had to bring something back for Jack. I also racked up another 30 teens and 2 adults, then moved on to the U.S., staring with Cali. I avoided most of the Northern states and Canada for now, because I didn't want to risk running into Jack early. But when I the time came for me to head north, I tread carefully and avoided places that were due for snow storms, because I knew that Jack would be the one making them.

I stopped in to see Jamie one night, and he hugged my waist tightly.

"Skye!" he exclaimed in a loud whisper. "I missed you!"

I chuckled and ruffled his hair, noting that he grew a couple of inches. "You got taller, Shorty. In five years, you might just be as tall as Jack!"

He laughed and sat on his bed. I hovered across from him with my legs crossed. "So, Jack told me you were going around the world! What was it like?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"It was wicked cool, Jamie," I said, grinning. "I also met a bunch of other spirits; I'll be seeing them soon at the spirit New Years Party. The spirit o New Years, Novus, always hosts one. I don't know why Jack didn't go last year, though," I added, furrowing my brow.

Jamie shrugged. "Maybe it was because he didn't want to run into Bunny?"

I snorted a laugh and ruffled his hair. "That might just be why, Shorty. So, how is Jack, anyways?" I asked, turning serious.

Jamie sighed and frowned a little. "He keeps asking if I've heard from you or if you've visited. He misses you a lot, Skye," he answered. "He's really excited that you'll be going back soon, though!" he added, smiling. "I can tell!"

I grinned. "The next time you see him, tell him I miss him, too," I said. "And tell him that my dragon bracelet even held up against Hawaiian and Indian heat," I added, chuckling.

Jamie giggled. "Alright. Anything else?"

I bit my lip in thought, then grinned. "Also, tell him that if he's going to Novus's party, he BETTER let Tooth dress him. The boy's probably never been to anything even remotely semi-formal."

Jamie covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. "A-alright *pfft!* I'll tell him."

I kissed his forehead. "Good boy! Now, you better get to sleep. I believe tomorrow, you have school. Unless Jack makes it a snow day for you guys again!"

Jamie gave me a hug, and then I flew out his window, heading towards Canada and Alaska.

The weather got even colder, and it took me awhile to re-acclimate myself to bitter coldness; after all, the last time I felt that was when I was in Russia.

I scoured over Canada and Alaska all the way up until December 30th. That day, I took out the second snow globe that North had given me (which was meant for me to use when I wanted to return) and shook it.

"Tooth Palace," I said, tossing it. The portal opened, and I stepped inside, excited to begin preparations for the New Years Party . . .

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The updates are going to come a lot faster now that I don't have to constantly switch between the movie and here to write and stuff lol. I'll most likely have the next chappie up by midnight (going by EST in the USA) So, yeahs. Skye being a travel bug and meeting new peeps lol ^_^


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When I stepped out of the portal, Tooth was there waiting for me. I gave her a grin and she hugged me close.

"Skye! It's been too long," she said, leaning back a bit.

I chuckled. "Heh, yeah. Sorry, Tooth. So, did Sandy tell you my message?"

She nodded. "Yes; and Jack also said that you told Jamie to tell him to let me dress him up for the party tomorrow night?"

I grinned mischieviously. "Exactly. Jack hasn't been to anything like this before, and I'll be _damned_ if he's wearing his usual outfit to something that is supposedly semi-formal."

Tooth shared my grin. "I had a feeling that that was why; come on! Let's get you a dress!" she said, dragging me off into the sky.

~ le time skip ~

She had brought me over to Japan, bringing me to a creation spirit; he was the one who helped spread the usage of silk over the Orient. He could only speak Japanese, and I was thankful that my father had taught me the language from birth.

_"Hi, Akira!"_ greeted Tooth in Japanese as we floated down to him. He was sitting at an outdoor loom, crafting an expanse of crimson silk that had patterns of peach blossoms on it.

_"Hello, Toothiana. What brings you and your young friend here?"_ he asked, his eyes going to me. He had long, black hair that was up in an almost Gakupo-ish style, and his eyes were a stunning teal color.

Tooth nudged me forward slightly, and I bowed to him. _"Tooth has told me that you make the finest dresses. I would be most humbled if you were to craft one for me to wear to the New Years party, Master Tailor."_

He chuckled. _"Raise your head and tell me your name, young one."_

I did as he requested and gave him a smile. _"My name is Skye Ryuuta; the Guardian of Faith."_

His expression showed his slight surprise. He looked at Tooth. _"One of the new Guardians, hm? Who is the other?"_

_"Jack Frost,"_ answered Tooth. Just hearing his name made my cheeks turn pink, and this didn't go unnoticed by the elder spirit.

He chuckled and gave me a smile. _"Tell me, Dragon Child, are you in love with the other young Guardian?"_

I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, my face getting warmer and warmer. _"Y-y-yes . . ."_

_"And does he know this?"_ I shook my head, and he frowned slightly. _"Are you planning on telling him at all?"_

I nodded. _"A-at the party . . ."_

Toothiana spoke up. _"This is why I brought her to you; you make the best dresses, Akira! And she deserves to look stunning."_

Akira sat in thought for a few seconds, then gave me a broad smile. _"Let's take your measurements, shall we?"_

~ le time skip ~

After he had taken down my measurements, he looked me over as if he was designing the outfit in his mind. Then, he went over to his large collection of fabrics and silks, pulling off a patterned black bolt and an orchid bolt that looked like it faded into mesh at the bottom.

Tooth said that she would be in the tearoom, and Akira smiled at her before she left.

Next thing I knew, I was being stripped and put on a pedestal so he could work on me. It was a bit surprising, but since he was essentially a male seamstress and this was his thing, I didn't really feel that uncomfortable. He made the dress right on my body, to make sure the fabric fell just right and such. He played music as he worked, and since most of them were classical pieces, I lightly sang an aria with the ones I liked.

I saw him smile slightly when I did so, and it was a good two hours. When he was done, he took the dress off of me and let me get my regular outfit back on. Then, he took my hand and placed it in his elbow, leading me to a different room.

_"I have many accessories that you can choose from, Dragon Child,"_ he said, opening the door. _"You may take your pick."_

My jaw dropped at the sheer beauty of the room's contents. I stepped forward and let his elbow go, heading slowly towards the section that bragged silver jewelry pieces. I picked a simple pair of silver earrings, a silver circlet that would go right under my breasts, silver cuff bracelets, a silver choker-ish necklace, and another piece that was almost like a necklace, but not quite.

The circlet had orchid stones inlaid in it, as did the last piece I chose. They were perfect for the dress that Akira had made me.

I went back to Akira and showed him my picks. I gave him a sheepish smile. _"I'll return these when the day after the party, if you want."_

He smiled and shook his head. _"Consider them gifts, Dragon Child. It is not often I am given an opportunity to craft a dress for a Guardian; Toothiana's last commission was over 40 years ago." _

My eyes widened in surprise. _"Oh. Well then. Thank you very much, Akira-san," _I said, bowing._ "I shall repay you somehow."_

He lightly chuckled and led me down back to the dressing room. _"You are most welcome, Dragon Child."_

~ le time skip ~

When the last touches were taken care of, Akira gave me a pair of black hair sticks and a little silver flower pin to put in my hair. To complete the look, you know. I thanked him profusely, overwhelmed by the amount of kindness he was showing me.

He told me not to think anything of it; he was simply happy to have something to do for once. He then proceeded to tell me that even if I just wanted a more casual outfit to be made, he would gladly do so.

When I picked Tooth up room the tearoom, my packages in hand, and gave her a grin.

"Gurl, you know some pretty awesome people," I said, lifting off into the sky.

She laughed and flitted beside me as I rode the wind. "Isn't he, though? And he's got some of the prettiest teeth~! Not as sparkly as Jacks, nor do they have a soft glow like your's, but still very lovely!"

I rolled my eyes. "Tooth, we gotta get you a hobby to do on the side. All them teeth are getting to your brain, mah dear. Either that or we need to get you a nice boyfriend; or girlfriend, I dunno what your preferences are."

Tooth flushed and laughed. "I prefer males, Skye. And I don't really have time for a relationship, you know," she said, becoming a bit more serious.

"Tooth, your fairies are more than capable of doing things on their own," I said gently. "And really, no one deserves to be alone. Jack will back me up on that one. At least think about it?" I asked.

She sighed, but gave me a small smile and a nod. "Alright, I'll think about it."

I grinned. "Sweet! Then you might find a nice man at Novus's party~!"

She flushed a bit again and laughed. "I highly doubt that, but alright . . ."

~ le time skip ~

The next morning, I awoke in my room at Tooth's palace feeling refreshed, energized, and excited about the party that night. But I was also kinda dying of heat, seeing as Tooth lived in India. That being said, I decided to grab a towel from my room's adjoining bathroom, then proceed to fly out my window down to Tooth's lake.

I breathed in the fresh scent of jasmine and cherry blossoms, then let out a contented sigh.

"I can see why Toothy likes it here," I murmured to myself as I stripped down. I set my clothes on one of the cherry tree branches, then ran into the lake.

"Woohoo!" I cried before diving under. I'd never really skinny-dipped before, but I knew that from that moment on, it would be my preferred way of swimming.

I breached the surface and took a big gulp of air, grinning. I eased back and floated on the surface, taking in the sunlight and the sounds of the birds and fairies. I decided to hum a tune, and then I got the urge to sing. And so I did.

"When I see your smile,  
Tears roll down my face.  
I can't replace~ . . .  
And now that I'm strong, I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one . . ."

"I will never let you fall;  
I'll stand up with you forever~.  
I'll be there for you through it all~  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven."

"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay~.  
Seasons are changing,  
And waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us.  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter;  
I can show you I'll be the one~ . . ."

"I will never let you fall~;  
I'll stand up with you forever~.  
I'll be there for you through it all~  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven."

Cuz you're my, you're my, my~  
My true love, my whole heart;  
Please don't throw that away~.  
Cuz I'm here for you~!  
Please don't walk away and  
Please tell me you'll stay~!  
Whoah, stay whoah~!"

"Use me as you will;  
Pull my strings just for a thrill~!  
And I know I'll be okay,  
Though my skies are turning gray!"

"I will never let you fall;  
I'll stand up with you forever~!  
I'll be there for you through it all;  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven!  
I will never let you fall;  
I'll stand up with you forever~!  
I'll be there for you through it all;  
Even if saving you send me to heaven~ . . ."

"I love that song."

I yelped and stood up in the water, looking around in alarm before I realized it was just Tooth. I let out a breath.

"Jeezum, Toothy, ya scared 5 years offa me," I said, laughing.

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry; I just wanted to let you know that brunch is ready."

"Oh? Alright, then, you're forgiven," I said with a giggle, getting out of the water and floating over to my clothes. I took the towel and dried off, getting as much water as I could out of my hair. I quickly got dressed and followed Tooth inside.

"I never knew you liked to skinny-dip, Skye," she teased as we sat down at the small table she had set up.

I laughed."Actually, that was my first time. And I can promise that it won't be my last; I never knew how much faster you could move without anything on at all."

I looked down and saw that breakfast was filled with healthy foods: egg whites, bacon, wheat toast, and apple slices with peanut butter. I practically drooled at the sight, so I knew my body was craving some energy.

"Man, Toothy, this looks great!" I said, digging into my eggs.

She giggled and tucked in herself. "Thank you; I try to pride myself on making healthy foods that are still enjoyable."

We ate in a companionable silence, listening to the mini fairies twitter around. As we got close to finishing, I spoke.

"Hey, Tooth," I said "tell me about this party that's going on tonight. Jack's never been, at least that's what I can gather, so I'm not quite sure what to expect."

"Oh, it's so much fun!" she said with a grin. "It's the one night of the year when most of the spirits around the world can take a break and relax; let their hair down, so to speak. It can get a little crazy at times, to be honest," she added, giggling.

"So, it's pretty much like any human New Years party?" I asked.

She shook her head, then paused. "Well, yes and no. Yes, it has essentially the same setup, but no, because it's 10 times as fun and wild. You have all different kinds of spirits that are either showing off, or who are on the dance floor, and then there will be other spirits who will get up on stage and do performances."

"I remember Alfred, who is literally the Party Spirit, did quite the performance last year with Novus," she said, laughing. "Nuvos is the only spirit who looks younger than you, Skye. He is physically around the age of 13 or 14, but don't let his appearance fool you: he can be quite mature. I remember a few years ago, a water spirit and a fire spirit got into an argument, and then they started attacking each other. Novus was the only one who could get them to stop," she said, her gaze distant. "And North even tried to break them up, so you know for sure that Novus can be quite fierce."

I rose my eyebrows in surprise and let out a low whistle. "Daaaaamn . . . He sounds AWESOME!" I said, grinning. "The guy sounds like a male me, except, ya know, younger."

Tooth giggled and nodded. "It would seem so; the way you went after Pitch was very scary. I caught the look on your face and a shiver ran down my spine."

I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck. "Hehe . . . sorry . . ."

~ le time skip ~

Since the party began at seven, Tooth and I ate a light dinner before heading off to our rooms to get ready. I got my dress on, and then decided to play it up by adding a silver an light gray fabric waist belt (it was from one of my other spare outfits). It had a triquetra on it made of black metal, and an orchid stone was in the center. It made the outfit look even more awesome, if that was possible. I then put on the choker-ish necklace, and the circlet under my breasts. The other piece of jewelry was gonna have to be a two person job, so I went off to Tooth's room and asked her to help me out.

She had helped me hook it on in the back, and then I skidaddled off to leave her to get ready and to finish getting ready myself.

I then went to work on my hair. It had grown a bit (and I was overjoyed to see that my hair was now naturally dark orchid and not black; no roots~!) so I wasn't quite sure what to do. After a few minutes of thought and looking into the mirror, I snapped my fingers and grinned.

"Idea~!"

I took my bangs and the front part of my hair and made a crown braid. With the leftover hair from that, I brought it to the back and fixed it into a neat, tight bun that I held with umpteen million pins that stabbed my scalp. After that, I added in my black hair sticks, and then my silver lily pin.

For the final touches, I put on the silver earrings ad cuff bracelets. Then, I got to work on my makeup. I did some black eyeliner and a light dusting of orchid eye shadow, along with some mascara, and then swiped some orchid lip stain on. And with the last touch of a few sprays of orchid perfume, I was all ready.

"Tooth, do I _really_ have to wear this?"

I froze as I heard Jack's voice in the hallway.

"Yes, Jack, this is a semi-formal party; and Jamie told you that Skye wanted you to let me pick your clothes," stated Tooth in a firm, motherly voice. "So, yes, you have to wear it."

"The boots, too?"

"Yes, the boots, too."

". . . *sighhh* Alright; but only because of Skye," he relented.

I heard Tooth clap her hands. "Perfect! Now, take them back to the Pole and get them on. We only have a half hour before the party starts!"

"Alright, Tooth," I heard him say; I could hear the smile in his voice. "I can't wait to see Skye . . . I've missed her so much."

I felt my face heat up and I grinned like an idiot. I heard Tooth giggle. "Yes, I know. She's missed you, too. But you'll see her soon. Now go get ready, mister!"

I heard him chuckle, and then a 'whoosh' sound. Tooth knocked on my door. "The coast is clear, Skye!"

I flew over and quickly opened my door, grinning. "God, I'm so bloody excited to see him!" I said, bouncing slightly in my excitement.

She giggled and patted my head. "Yes, I know. And be careful; if you smile any wider, you face will get stuck that way."

I laughed. "Well, now, that would be awkward! And I love your dress, Tooth. Is that the one that Akira-san made?"

Tooth's dress wasn't really a dress, per se, but it was more like a long, wide shawl that was draped around her and held together with various pins to make it look like a dress. It was almost like a special kind of sari. It had a golden pattern of small flowers spread over a piece of silk that faded from yellow to green to blue to indigo, just like her feathers.

She smiled. "Thank you; and yes, it is. I wanted a nice dress that showed off my heritage, even if only slightly."

I tilted my head. "You are Indian?"

She nodded. "Yes; but I'll tell you the story another day. For now, we have to get to Novus's party!"

"I thought you said it started in a half hour?" I asked.

She chuckled. "I only said that to Jack because that's when the guys usually get there: 20 minutes late."

I covered my mouth to muffle my giggles. "And they say women are always late!"

Tooth snorted a few giggles and then took out a snow globe, shaking it and saying, "Novus's Villa!"


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

When we stepped through the portal, my jaw dropped. "W-whoa . . ."

Novus's villa was apparently in Rome. On a mountainside. And it pretty much looked like what I would imagine Olympus to look like.

"Toothy!"

I turned to see a boy who looked around 14 with blonde hair that was in a short ponytail and royal blue eyes; he wore a collared shirt the same color as his eyes, a white vest, a black tie that was a bit loose, and brown pants with black boots.

"Novus!" she said with a smile. She gave him a quick hug, and then smiled. "Okay, open up!"

He chuckled before doing as she requested. She looked intently at his teeth, then squealed.

"You've been flossing~!" she said, hugging him again.

I giggled, and then Novus's gaze went to me. "Well now, who's _this_ fine lady?" he asked, grinning.

I laughed and Tooth backed up and lightly whacked the back of his head. "Her name is Skye Ryuuta; she's one of the two new Guardians," said Tooth.

I curtsied a bit and gave him a smile. "A pleasure, Novus."

He smiled and bowed a bit. "No, the pleasure is all mine," he said, pretty much giving me a once over. I giggled and patted his head.

"Sorry, dearie. My heart's already taken," I said.

He snapped his fingers. "Shoot. And here I thought I'd find me a nice woman," he lamented, though his eyes sparkled with mirth.

I chuckled and Tooth smiled at him. "I'm guessing that the guys are late as usual?" she asked, raising a brow.

Novus laughed. "Yeah; they take the whole thing of 'fashionably late' a bit too far. But hey, they're gonna do what they want."

"Something tells me that if Jack found out they purposely took longer, he'll beat them with his staff," I said, chuckling.

Tooth covered her mouth to muffle her giggles and Novus looked at me. "Jack?"

"Oh, Jack Frost. He's the other new Guardian. He's my best friend," I said, feeling my face heat up a little.

He got a sly smile on his face. "You looooooove him~!" he teased.

I grinned and punched his shoulder. "Yeah, so? And speaking of which, I want to tell him in the best way I know how: I want to sing. It's one of my spirit powers, and will let him know from the depths of my soul how I feel about him," I said, getting serious. "Is that alright with you?"

Novus nodded with a small smile. "Of course! Anything to help out a couple a crazy kids in love."

I rolled my eyes but gave him a one-armed hug anyways. "Thanks, man."

All of a sudden, four different voices called out, "Skye!"

I turned and saw Damien, Undrach, Xihe, and Padma all waving at me from one of the corners of the room. I grinned and flew over to them quickly.

"Hey guys!" I said, giving each of them a hug. "Man, I missed y'all! How've you guys been since I saw each of you last?"

They then got to talking about the various things they'd been up to, and after about 20 minutes, I heard the unmistakable sounds of a snow globe portal being opened. I felt myself grin, and I looked over my shoulder to see the guys stumble out of the portal, an irate-looking Jack behind them.

"You guys are so lucky I haven't pelted you with snowballs!" he said to them.

I took the opportunity to admire the outfit Tooth had gotten for Jack. He wore a long-sleeved shirt the same color as his usual hoodie, and it was untucked. The shirt's top had a frost blue part with white ties that made a U-shape; it matched the belt around his waist that had two long, white strings dangling in the front. Hit pants her the same color brown as his usual leather capris, and his boots were black.

His shirt and boots had frost over them in some places due to his cold temperature, and I also noticed that he had a dark blue cape on that was held to his shirt with two silver pins. His cape also had some frost on the end.

"But is in style to be a little late!" said North in defense, his red and black suit looking very dapper on him.

"I told ya he'd blow a gasket, North," sighed Bunny, wearing a tan vest with a spring green bowtie. He had left his boomerangs at the Warren, it seemed, since he didn't have them on.

Sandy made a few images over his head in rapid succession, and I could not for the life of me decipher what he was trying to say; but he, too, looked very nice in the gold and white suit he had on.

"A 'little' late?" questioned Jack as he tugged a bit on his shirt collar with annoyed expression on his face. "We're _20 minutes_ late!"

I gave my four friends a quick goodbye, then snuck up behind Jack. The others saw me and I put my finger over my lips for them to be quiet.

"Who knows if I'll be able to find Skye now," continued Jack. "This place is packed."

I put my hands over his eyes quickly and breathed into his ear, "Is _Jack Frost_ being responsible and mature for once? I think I might need to sit down, Snowcone."

He stilled, then spun around while taking my hands away from his eyes. His eyes were wide as he took me in, but then he grinned and hugged me tightly, spinning me a little.

"SKYE!"

I giggled and hugged him tightly. "Okay, Jack, put me down; I'm getting dizzy."

He stopped spinning, but didn't let me go. "Damn, I've missed you! Never go off like that ever again, got it?" he said, his gaze stern.

I smiled and bopped my forehead against his. "You got it, Snowcone. Now put me down so I can hug the others, Mr. Selfish."

He chuckled and set me down, only for Bunny to pick me up and give me a tight hug.

"Boy, I've missed ya, sheila!" he said. "Why didn't you stop by when you were down on my turf?"

I chuckled as he set me down. "Bunny, I don't know how to get to the Warren from above ground, remember?"

He then stilled, and facepawed. "Right; I forgot."

I hugged North next, and then snapped my fingers. "Right! The pouch!"

I took it out of my dress pocket and handed it to him. He smiled and tucked it in one of his suit pockets. "I trust it was useful?"

I nodded. "Mhm! Whenever I stayed in a house where a teenage believer lived, I decided to pay them back by giving them the money to buy us both takeout for dinner. I think I ate over 50 different kinds of foods throughout the span of my travelling . . ."

Tooth and Novus then came over to us. "Hey guys! I see you finally got here," said the blonde spirit, raising a brow.

The three older spirits smiled sheepishly, and Jack tilted his head before looking at me. "Who's that?"

I chuckled and linked arms with him. "Jack, this is Novus, the Spirit of New Years. Novus, this is Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun."

Novus grinned and held his hand out. "Sweet! A spirit who definitely would know how to party!"

Jack laughed and shook his hand. "Well, I wouldn't know. I've never been to anything like this . . ."

"Dude, what?!"

I looked behind Novus to see a man with a black and white suit who had sandy blonde hair and sky blue eyes; he also wore glasses, and had a pair of headphones around his neck.

He came over and looked at Jack in saddened shock. "You've never been to a party?!"

Jack shook his head, and the man let out a gasp of horror. "Oh my god, you've missed out, bro!"

I chuckled, and then the newcomer gave me a once over. "Well, hey there~," he said, giving me a sly smile. "Name's Alfred F. Jones, Spirit of the Party. And you are~?"

I bit back a chuckle. "Skye Ryuuta, Guardian of Faith."

His eyes widened, and then he looked at Jack. "Hey, that's means you're Jack Frost! Super sweet to meet ya, bro."

Novus then looked at his watch, then back at us Guardians. "It's almost time to officially start the party. Come on, you guys."

Jack and I followed the other four in confusion. "Why does he want us to come with?" I asked Bunny.

"Oh, he starts the party by introducin' us and braggin' about any accomplishments we've made," he answered.

"Yeah; and it's sure to be really big this year!" said Tooth excitedly. "What with the whole episode with Pitch!"

I nodded my head in understanding along with Jack. Novus led us up to a balcony that had overlooked the dance floor and food tables. It had a set of turntables, and Alfred had followed us up and had settled into his spot behind them. Novus took the center mic and tapped it, testing to see if it was on. When he was convinced it was, he brought it to his lips.

"Hey hey hey~! Welcome to my party, everyone!" he called out. Everyone cheered for a few moments, and then settled down. "Alright, let's just skip over how much of an 'old man' I'm becoming and introduce our Guardians!"

We stepped forward, my hand tucked into Jack's left elbow. Everyone cheered, and I flushed a bit in embarrassment. With a quick glance, I saw that Jack was having a similar reaction. The cheering died down, and then Novus spoke again.

"As you can see, guys, we got two new Guardians!" he said, standing next to us. "Skye Ryuuta, the Guardian of Faith!" A few more cheers sounded, mainly from my four other friends still down on the floor. "And Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun!"

Even more cheers erupted, and I could see that Jack was overwhelmed by all the attention. I squeezed his arm slightly to calm him down, and he put his hand over mine and squeezed back.

"And as most of you know," continued Novus, "those two helped our older Guardians defeat Pitch Black and beat his shadow ass back into his hole!"

This got the loudest set of cheers yet, and I felt that my face would forever be frozen in a dark pink tone from all the embarrassment.

"In fact, I heard tell that aside from those two, a group of six children helped them as well," added Novus. He looked at the six of us. "Make sure you tell them that the rest of us greatly appreciate their heroism, will ya?" We nodded, and he grinned, moving on.

"Toothy over here also told me that our lovely Guardian of Faith has a little report to give," he said, looking at me. I smiled and nodded, and he handed me the mic.

"Over the past nine months, I've been going across the world to try and boost the number of believers," I began. "Mainly among the teenage population. And, I'm happy to say that as of this moment, we have gained 1,000 teenage believers . . . . and 50 adult believers as well!"

They were all shocked, and then they began cheering loudly. I felt myself blush and I handed the mic back to Novus. I went back to Jack's side, wishing I could dissolve into the floor.

"Well now, that's certainly something else to be celebrated!" said Novus. "Now, without further ado . . . LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

Everyone whooped and hollered as Alfred started up the music. We Guardians went back down to the floor, and when we finally got there, I was immediately swarmed by a bunch of spirits.

"You really made teenagers and adults believe in us?!" asked one in an excited voice. She had fin ears and gills, so I assumed she was a water spirit.

"How did you do that?" asked another, who looked like a forest spirit, given his crown of ivy vines.

North chuckled and came too my rescue. "Now now, don't swarm poor girl."

They immediately backed off and gave me apologetic smiles before heading back to what they were doing before.

I let out a breath of relief. "Dear lord and lady, that was scary . . . I might like singing in front of a lot of people, but forget ding anything else on front of a crowd . . ."

Jack chuckled an led me to a sweets table. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Except minus the singing part," he added, with a grin.

I laughed, then gave him an obvious once-over. "You look great, Jack. You're gonna be breaking hearts tonight," I teased.

He smirked and then looked me over as well. "Uhm, correction, Skye, _you'll_ be the one breaking hearts. You look _amazing_."

I flushed and looked down, smiling. "Th-thanks . . ."

He chuckled, then looked at me curiously. "Hey, uhm, what was it . . . that you were going to tell me?"

I looked at him in slight confusion, and then it clicked. "O-oh, well, uhm, you're gonna have to wait until halfway through the party," I said. "So, until then, how 'bout we show these older spirits that we got better moves than they do?" I asked, grinning like a fox.

He mirrored my grin and took off his cape, tossing it onto a random easy chair. "You got it, princess!"

We then went out on the dance floor where a bunch of other spirits were gettin' down, and I had to commend Alfred on his musical selections. He played music from all over the world, or music that was known worldwide. But he also played some songs that not many people had heard, and it got them to broaden their musical scope. However, I found it funny that I recognized more songs than pretty much anyone else. Only other musical spirits knew as many as I did.

At one point, Novus sought me out and yelled over the music, "Alfie wants to know if you wanna sing a few songs!"

I looked at Jack. "Is it alright with you, Jack?" I asked above the music.

He nodded with a grin. "Go stun everyone, princess!" he said, nudging me towards the stairs that led to the balcony.

I laughed and followed Novus up to the balcony, and he took the mic.

"Yo yo yo! Our very own guardian of Faith is gonna sing us some wicked tunes!" he said. Everyone clapped and cheered, and then Alfred put it on a techno number as Novus put down the mic.

"What do you want to sing, doll?" asked the party spirit with a grin.

I smiled. "Oh, I have the perfect lineup that will appeal to a broad range of peeps, Mr. DJ."

I wrote down my song list, and he rose his eyebrows in surprise. "Now, _that_ is what I call a mix!"

"You got all of 'em?" I asked, grinning.

He gave me a superior smirk. "Gurl, don't even. You _know_ I do."

"Then start 'em up, Mr. DJ," I said, grabbing a headset mic and putting it on. I grinned, then went to the head of the balcony.

"Turn it up, Alfie!" I called out, raising a fist in the air. Everyone below cheered, and I grinned. Alfred put my first song on, and I began singing.

"I got shivers when you touch my face.  
I'll make you hot, get all you got;  
I'll make you wanna say~!  
Jai ho! Jai ho!  
I got fever running like a fire.  
For you I will go all the way;  
I'm gonna take you higher!"

"I'll keep it steady,  
Cuz steady is how I do it.  
This beat is heavy,  
So heavy you gonna feel it."

"You are the reason that I breathe;  
You are the reason that I still believe.  
You are my destiny!  
Jai ho~ oh oh oh oh!  
No there is nothing that can stop us;  
Nothing can ever come between us!  
So come and dance with me.  
Jai ho oh~!"

"Catch me, catch me, catch me;  
C'mon, catch me, I want you now.  
I know you can save me;  
You can save me, I need you now.  
I am yours forever, yes forever;  
I will follow.  
Anyway, and anywhere;  
Never gonna let go."

I noticed that as I sang, some of the Indian spirits danced in their country's traditional style, and I saw Tooth among them. I myself actually danced to the words as well, and that only made singing the song all the more fun. Once I was done, applause sounded, and I grinned.

Alfred then switched it to my next song, and I clapped and stomped along with the beat.

"So this is what you meant,  
when you said that you were spent.  
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit  
Right to the top;  
Don't hold back.  
Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain-check."

"I don't ever wanna let you down;  
I don't ever wanna leave this town.  
'Cause after all,  
This city never sleeps at night."

"It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit  
I'm just the same as I was.  
Now don't you understand  
That I'm never changing who I am!"

After I sang the first few lines, everyone below began clapping and stomping to the beat as well, and when I got to the final chorus, I gestured for them to sing along, and they did so. The resulting energy in the air was intoxicating; so much so that I could feel my dragons quiver beneath my skin.

When I finished the song, everyone once again cheered, and I gestured for them to be quiet.

"Alright, guys, this ones for the proud ladies in the crowd who don't need no magazine tellin' 'em how to act!" I called out. The girls in the crowd whooped, and Alfred started the song.

"Look like a girl, but I think like a guy!  
Not ladylike to behave like a slime.  
Easy to be sleazy when you've got a filthy mind;  
You stick to your yogurts, I'll stick to my apple pie!"

"Girls are not meant to fight dirty;  
Never look a day past thirty~.  
Not gonna bend over and curtsy  
For youuu~!"

"Is there any possibility  
You'll quit gossiping about me  
To hide your insecurities?  
All you say is 'blah blah'.  
Girls they never befriend me  
Cuz I fall asleep when they speak  
Of all the calories they eat!  
All they say is 'nah nah nah nah nah'.  
'Nah nah nah nah nah'."

All of the girls out in the crowd were loving this one, and I even saw a bunch of the guys totally jamming out to it as well. With the next song I sang, a lot of the physically younger spirits got into it; mainly due to the fact that it was 'Die Young' by Ke$ha. I then sang 'Wanted' by Jesse James, and then the Nightcore version of 'Papi'.

Finally, it came down to the one song that I would use to confess to Jack. I hoped with all my heart that everything would go well, and took a deep breath.

"Alright, guys, this is my final song," I said. "And it's very special. Hopefully they know who they are, so I get saved a little bit of embarrassment, heh," I added, chuckling nervously. "But, to give them a hint: this is what I wanted to tell you."

I locked eyes with Jack, making sure I had his attention before I started. I gave Alfred the signal, and the accoustic guitar music began.

"Merrily we fall  
Out of line, out of line.  
I'd fall anywhere with you;  
I'm by your side.  
Swinging in the rain  
Humming melodies;  
We're not going anywhere until we freeze~ . . ."

"I'm not afraid anymore~;  
I'm not afraid . . ."

"For~ever is a long time~;  
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side~."

"Carefully we'll place our destiny.  
You came and you took this heart and set it free.  
Every word you write or sing is so warm to me, so warm to me.  
I'm torn, I'm torn to be right where you are~ . . ."

"I'm not afraid anymore~;  
I'm not afraid . . ."

"For~ever is a long time~;  
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side~.  
Tell me everyday  
I get to wake up to that~ smile~!  
I wouldn't mind it;  
No, I wouldn't mind it at all~ . . ."

"You so know me;  
Pinch me gently.  
I can hardly breathe~ . . ."

"For . . . ever is a long, long time;  
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side~!  
Tell me everyday  
I get to wake up to that~ smile~!  
I wouldn't mind it;  
No, I wouldn't mind it at aaaall~ . . ."

Everyone applauded me, and I took off the headset. I handed it to Alfred, and he gave me a wink.

"I think you got your point across to Frosty, doll," he said with a grin.

I blushed bright red. "Sh-shut up . . ." I mumbled. "I-I'm gonna go . . . get some air . . ."

And with that, I flew out one of the windows and stood in Novus's rose garden. Soon, I heard footsteps approaching, and I stiffened when I felt that familiar cold breeze.

"Skye?"

I shyly looked at Jack. "Y-yeah?"

He was blushing sky blue, and I had to admit he looked adorable when he was flustered. "D-did you m-mean all that?"

I let out a shuddering breath. "Yes . . . Every word, Snowcone. Every single word."

I heard his breath hitch, and then the next thing I knew, I was looking into ice blue eyes. "Good . . . because I feel the exact same way, princess," he whispered, his cold breath fanning over my lips.

I felt my eyes widen in pleasant surprise, and then I felt bold for a moment and smiled coyly. "Really~? Care to . . . _prove it_, Jacky boy?" I breathed.

His eyes darkened slightly and he smirked. "I'd be only to happy to, Ryuu~."

And with that, he was kissing me. It wasn't anything overly messy; it was a chaste kiss, but it was so full of emotion that I felt I would burst. I couldn't help it: I let out a quiet moan.

I felt him smirk a little against my lips, and I furrowed my brow and placed my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss slightly. He let out a light growl before pulling me closer to him by my waist. I let out a slight squeak in surprise, but it quickly turned into a content sigh.

"Mmm~," I hummed. I pulled back slightly and looked up at his lightly flushed face. "Well . . . you've proven your point, koishī," I breathed, chuckling a little.

He let out a short, breathless laugh. "Thank you, princess. Want to go back inside before the kangaroo gets more ammo to tease us with?"

I snorted a laugh and covered my mouth to muffle the sound. "S-sure *pfft~* sure thing, Jack," I said, taking his hand.

He interlaced our fingers, and even though we'd held hands like this before, it felt different now. It meant a lot more; to the both of us.

~ le time skip ~

When we got back inside, sure enough, Bunny began teasing us. However, with a light glare from me and a dragon-like growl, he shut up and just wished us well, patting my head and ruffling Jack's hair. Tooth was in a right tizzy over us being together, and I had to take her by the shoulders and give her a little shake to calm her down. Sandy was happy for the both of us, as was North. I think, in a way, Jack looked up to North as a father figure, and I know the Russian's approval meant a lot to him.

As the night wore on, Jack and I danced together to various songs. I also introduced him to the four friends I'd made while travelling, and he was psyched to meet boy spirits who looked around our physical age.

Then, Alfred got out the more . . . risque music.

Of course, Padma and I squealed and totally got down, dancing back to back in perfect unison. I saw Jack watching me and I had another bold moment. My brain hatched an idea, and I shared it with Padma. She stifled her giggles with her hand and nodded.

"That would make him go crazy! I'll go up and ask Alfred for the song," she said, winking. She left to go up to Alfred, and I turned to Jack.

"Hey, Jack, would you like to learn how to dance like that?" I asked innocently. "Well, not exactly like that, but the guy equivalent?"

He gulped and nodded, his face a bit blue. I pulled him by the hand out onto the dance floor just as the music started to play.

_My body rocks a rhythm;_  
_You beat my drum hard._  
_I might just kick it kick it;_  
_You wanna lick it lick it._  
_I love to stick it stick it_  
_From London to LA._  
_Yeah that's the ticket ticket;_  
_Come on and kiss it kiss it._

I led him through the beginnings of the song, and around one third of the way through, he was leading me, and it was exhilarating. After all . . . if he was the Guardian of Fun, then surely that encompassed _adult_ fun as well~ . . .

As we danced to the song, I could hear him breathing hard from behind me in my ear. About two thirds of the way through the song, he pulled me tighter against him by my hips.

"You are a tease, Skye," he breathed in my ear. "That's no fun at all~ . . ."

I let out a husky laugh and turned to face him. "Oh, but my dear, you can have enough faith to trust that once I start something, I absolutely _hate_ leaving it unfinished~ . . ." I murmured back. "After all, I've been dying to be this close to you for months; I'm not sure if I can take one more day without you," I added sincerely, dropping the coy tone.

He smiled a bit and kissed me gently. "You'll never have to, Skye . . ."

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Okay, now we're gettin' somewhere ;3 And warning to all who are reading, since the people who have reviewed so far don't mind a lemon/lime or actually would like to see one, I'm gonna be changing the rating before I put that chapter up. Just a fair warning for y'all.

Until next time!

~vampireXgirl13X (^_^)


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: There will be a lemon in this chapter, but I'll warn y'all before it starts, okay? That way you can skip over it if you don't wanna read it. Without further ado, on with the show! ^w^**

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Chapter 17

Everyone in attendance partied like there was no tomorrow. As it got closer and closer to midnight, though, the air seemed to thicken with light tension. When it got to the final 5 minutes before midnight, Novus stood at the balcony overlooking the floor and raised the mic to his lips.

"Alright, ladies and gents, we're gonna slow things down for the last dance of the year," he said, smiling. "Alfie, put 'er on."

The slow music began, and I barely suppressed a squeal when I heard it. It was Ne-Yo's "Never Knew I Needed." Jack took my hand and led me to the center of the floor. He looked down at me with a soft smile as he placed a hand at my waist and held my right in his left. I rose my eyebrows in surprise as he led me through a waltz.

"I never knew you could waltz, Jack," I said, impressed.

He grinned sheepishly. "I asked Tooth to teach me, heh . . . I wanted to be able to slow-dance with you, so . . ." He trailed off, turning baby blue in his embarrassment.

I flushed pink and smiled up at him. "That's so sweet, Jack . . ." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He smiled and let me go to spin me before pulling me back to him. I felt my eyes widen and show my surprise, and he grinned impishly. "I had Tooth teach me a lot."

I giggled and shook my head a little. "You are such a precocious boy, Jack."

He chuckled. "You're the one who goes around in the revealing outfit, princess," he teased, winking at me. "It doesn't help any."

I gaped and flushed, then grinned at him wickedly. "Did you check me out when I wasn't looking, Snowcone?"

He smirked and leaned in so his lips barely brushed mine. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know, Skye~ . . ." he whispered teasingly.

I drew in a sharp breath and sent him a playful glare. He went to lean back, but I held him by the collar of his shirt. "Oh no, Jacky boy~ . . . You don't tease a girl like that without giving her something~ . . ."

I pulled him in and kissed him deeply, and I felt my dragons begin to glow. The sight was most likely attracting attention, but I couldn't care less at that moment. When I pulled back, I saw Jack's eyes were a bit darker, and slightly sharper as well.

"And you call me precocious," he whispered, his voice slightly husky.

I gave him a coy smile and fluttered my eyelashes playfully. "Well, you don't help it any; when you propose a challenge like that, who am I to back down, Jack~?"

The song ended, and just as Jack opened his mouth to say something, Novus was at the mic once more.

"Alright, everyone! Time for the countdown!" he called out with a grin.

Everyone gathered into a cluster on the dance floor, and the other four Guardians stood with Jack and I. When Novus gave the signal, we all started counting down.

"Ten . . . Nine . . . Eight . . . Seven . . . Six . . . Five . . . Four . . . Three . . . Two . . . ONE!"

"Woohoo! Happy New Year, everyone!" yelled Novus, glowing with a bright, yellow light.

We all cheered, and then settled down as Novus's glow died down. "Alright; now, let's start off the New Year RIGHT! SKYE! How's about you give us an encore?"

Everyone looked at me and I let out a peal of laughter. "Alright, Novus! If you insist!"

I floated up to the balcony, then grinned at Alfred. "How's about we get some music from the Orient goin' on, Mr. DJ?"

He returned my grin and gave me a thumbs up. "You got it, doll!"

As he went through his music, I put the headset back on and turned to everyone with a smirk. "I think it's time I showed off my Asian roots; what say you guys?" I called out.

I was met with loud cheers, the loudest coming from other Asian or part Asian spirits like myself. I gave them a wide grin as Alfred's first song began to play and I began to sing.

"Itai hodo namida afureru shinkai no yoru o koe!"  
GARASU no suimen te o nobaseba hikari ni todoita!"

"Mieru mono dake ga kikoeru koe dake ga  
Subete janai koto ni kidzuite!  
Shinjirareru mono hitotsu fueta  
Ima nara tsuyoku nareru ne!"

"Kizutsuite mata kagayaku  
Muteki no kizuna kanjiteru;  
Dareka janakute kimi janakya dame  
Setsunai hodo motometeru!  
Kiseki ga kasanareba  
Unmei ni kawaru mitai ni;  
Utagai nante yaburi suteyou  
Katai kizuna o shinjite~ . . ."  
(("Kizuna" from Mermaid Melody))

Everyone applauded when I eventually finished, and I smiled and repressed a squeal when the next song came up. I looked out over everyone.

"Now here's for all you Vocaloid lovers, if you've heard Mayu's cover of the song! If you know the dance, don't hold back!" I called out. They whooped and I began singing.

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kaete yuku  
Ashita wo kaeteku  
Kokoro ni niji wo tsukuru kisetsu ni~!  
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY mayowazu ni  
Oikaketai no wa  
Dareka ga tsukuru 'ima' ja nai kara~ . . ."

"Neratteta SHIITO wa hitoashi chigai de dareka ni  
Nanka chigatteru n ja nai densha no mado yurasu tameiki."

"Nanatsu KOROPI hattsu de oki itakute mo waraeba mirai ga kawaru?"

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kaete yuku  
ANATA mo kaeteku  
Kokoro ni niji wo tsukuru kisetsu ni~!  
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY YUME iro ni  
ANATA ga irozuku  
Hitotsu shika nai sono egao de~ . . ."

"Suki na UTA utatte suki na hito no shashin wo mite  
Chotto YARUki ni natte iru SHINPURU na KANJI mo ii n ja nai~ . . . ?"

"Owari dake ga yokereba OK?  
Sore dake ja KOOKAI saki ni tachisou~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY bukiyou de  
KAKKO warukute mo  
Dareka ga tsukuru "ima" ja nai kara~!  
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kawaranai  
Tokimeki sagashite  
ANATA ga tsukuru ashita kanjite~ . . ."

" 'Kimi ga ii' erabitakute erabarenai KOTO bakari de.  
kizutsuku tabi kezutte kita PURAIDO no yukue wo ou no wa yamete~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kaete yuku  
ANATA mo kaete yuku  
SUKOORU niji wo kakeru kisetsu ni~!  
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY nana iro ni  
Ashita ga irozuku  
Mune ni daita sono egao de~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kawaranai  
Tokimeki sagashite  
ANATA ga tsukuru ashita kanjite~!  
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY YUME iro ni  
ANATA mo irozuku  
Hitotsu shika nai sono egao de~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY, CAN I CHANGE MY LIFE?  
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY, CAN I CHANGE MY LIFE?"  
(("Love and Joy" by Yuki Kimura))

I kept up the pace of singing Japanese and Vocaloid songs, and then I also moved into singing K-pop. I did songs from Block B, Hyuna, PSY, and Big Bang. Everyone was loving the different music, and as I finished what I figured would be my last song, an idea for a better final song hit me in the face. I felt like a dork for not thinking of it sooner; after all, it was perfect for me personally, and it was a great song to dance to.

I went to Alfred's side. "Hey, Alfred, you got the Vocaloid song 'Wave'? Preferably 96Neko's cover, since it has the timing I want and the backup vocals I'll need."

He searched through and gave me a grin. "Yup, I've got it. This gonna be your last one?"

I nodded. "Yeah; I have a super idea for the song that would make it a great finale," i answered, giving him a sly grin.

He laughed. "Alright, doll. You got it."

I turned to the crowd down below. "Alright, y'all, this is my last song. And get ready to embrace your inner techno self," I added, chuckling. "This is for the Moon!"

This got a rise out of the lot of them, and the Moon's light came in through one of the windows, shining on me as if to tell me he was listening. I smiled up at him as the intro for the song played, and then I closed my eyes, preparing myself to dance as I floated over the balcony rail.

"Ah~."

"Machigaete uchuu owatte  
Aoshingou wa itsumodoori  
Tonde mata tomatte  
Mata tobi souda."

"Kokoro konekuto  
Kodaijin to koi shita  
Mousou korekuto  
Kazeki tekina romansu"

"Ha~an~  
Yume ni odoru no!"

"Tsuki no akari ga boku o tsutsunde  
Narihibiku oto karada o nomikonde iku  
Mou osoreru koto o kanjinai kurai no  
Mabushi sa ni ima  
Kokoro o nerawa rete iru no  
Mawaru mawaru se-ka-i wa."

"Ah~."

As I sang, my dragons glowed and came off of my skin. They floated and twirled around me in time with the music, and their soft glow mirrored that of the Moon's. As I took a break to let 96Neko's skipping vocals play after the second chorus, I caught Jack's gaze and smiled, giving him a wink before going back to the song.

"Ha~an~  
Yume ni odoru no!"

"Ashita no kow ga boku o sasotte  
Narihibiku oto mirai o nurikate iku  
Mou todomaru koto o yurusanai kurai no  
Mabushi sa ni ima  
Kokoro o nerawa rete iru no  
Mawaru mawaru se-ka-i kara  
Mieru mieru mi-ra-i."

"Lalala lala lala  
Lalala lala lala~!  
Lalala lala lala  
Lalala lala lala~!"

As the music faded, my dragons let out a joyous roar, causing everyone to cheer and and call out in excitement. They went back into my skin, and I floated over to Alfred. I took off the headset and gave it back to him, kissing his cheek in gratitude.

"Thanks, Alfie. You're one hell of a DJ, mah friend," I said with a smile.

He gave me a grin and a one-armed hug. "Thanks, doll. Now go back to your boy toy."

I rolled my eyes as I let out a laugh, floating back down to the floor. Jack was at my side in an instant, kissing my cheek.

"You sure know how to make a big bang," he said with a grin. He pulled me closer and pressed a gentler kiss to my temple. "You looked . . . . really beautiful, Skye . . ."

I felt my face get hot and I mentally fought for something to say. "Th-thank you, Jack . . ."

The other four Guardians came over to and complimented my performance as well. North took a look at the large clock on the eastern wall and adjusted his suit coat.

"I am thinking is time for us to go," he said over the music. "Much plans and things to prepare."

Jack and I were a bit bummed, but agreed none the less. After all, North did have a point; it was already 2 in the morning, and we hadn't gotten any sleep. Now seemed like a good time to crash.

At that thought, I yawned, covering my mouth as I nodded. "Yeah; sounds like a plan."

So, we gathered our things (Jack hunting for and eventually finding his discarded cape) and then went to say goodbye to Novus. He was a bit sad to see us leave, but gave us each a hug. He said that it was wonderful meeting Jack and I, and told us to try and visit him every now and again.

We promised we'd try, and then we left, going through one of North's snow globe portals.

When we landed at the Pole, I stretched my arms and cracked my neck. "Damn . . . I don't think I've partied that hard since my last Homecoming dance at my old school."

North laughed and patted me on the back. "HA! Go to bed, malen'kiy drakon. You too, Jack."

Said boy rolled his eyes and put an arm around my shoulders, walking me to my room. As we neared the hallway door, I heard Bunny call out.

"Oi! And no muckin' about with 'er, Frostbite!"

This caused both Jack and I to blush brightly. We turned to look back at the Pooka in unison and stuck our tongues out at him.

"Sh-shut up, Aster!" I said, making us walk a bit faster towards my room.

With our hastened pace, we came to my door a lot sooner than expected. Jack looked at me as we stopped outside my door, his face still a little blue.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth, I smiled and said, "Wanna come in? I've missed you for nine months; we need to make up for lost time, ya know?"

He smiled and kissed my cheek. "Sure."

I opened my room door and turned on the light as we walked inside. I noticed with vague surprise that my bag and sword were here already, then chalked it up to the mini-fairies or the yetis bringing them here. I kicked off my flats and let out a huge breath.

"Damn; I'm all set to never do that again till next year," I said with a wry smile. I let out my hair and shook it a little, giving Jack a grin. "How 'bout you, Snowcone?"

He laughed and sat himself on my bed, slipping off his boots. "Yeah, same. I think that will be the only time I'm ever wearing shoes; I have no idea how the rest of you can do it. They're so stifling."

I giggled and flopped in my vanity chair, removing my jewelry. "You're just not used to it, Jack. But believe me, it also depends on the kind of shoes you wear."

He came up behind me and eyed all of the priceless pieces. "Where did you even get all that? And the dress, too."

I smiled. "Tooth knows this creation spirit in Japan; his specialty is dresses and he collects jewelry. He's pretty damn awesome."

He let out a short hum in response, watching me in the mirror as I took all of the pieces off. Then, I caught a glint in his eyes that made me pause.

"Jack . . . ?"

He stood me up and held me to him, so my back was to his chest. "Quick question: how did he know your size to make the dress?"

"Oh. He took my measurements, of course," I answered honestly. "And let me tell you, once he starts working on a dress, he's totally focused on the subject. He made it right on me, too, which was totes cool.

Jack went quiet for a moment. "He made it on you?" he asked in a low murmur; his tone baffled me. I couldn't tell if he was angry, jealous, both, or something else. So, I decided to ask.

"Jack, are you . . . jealous?" I looked at him in my mirror, my brow furrowed. "If you are, there is no reason to be. He was completely professional, even when he measured my chest."

His grip tightened around my waist slightly, and he closed his eyes, letting out a few calming breaths, it seemed. "Skye . . . how can I not be jealous?" he asked, opening his eyes. He flushed a bit and looked to the side. "He got to see you practically naked before I did . . . ." he mumbled.

I flushed as my eyes widened, and I looked down. "O-oh . . ."

He turned me around and lifted my face to look at him. "Skye . . . Uhm," he started, flushing a deeper blue. "C-can I, uh . . . w-what I mean to s-say is- . . ." He sighed and looked down. "Dammit . . ."

"Jack?" I looked at him curiously, wondering just what exactly was making him so damn flustered.

He took a deep breath, then said, "IsitokayifIstayherewithyoutonight?"

I blinked. "Uhm, Snowcone, you're gonna have to repeat that. And go a bit slower . . ."

He huffed a frustrated breath, then looked at me with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Is it okay if . . . I s-stay here . . . with you t-tonight . . . ?"

I gaped a little, my eyes widening and my face heating up. Then, I looked down and smiled, saying, "S-sure . . . I don't mind, Snowcone." Then, I smirked and looked up at him. "But you best behave~ . . ."

He flushed darker for an instant, then picked up on my teasing mood and gave me a fox-like grin. "Since when have I ever 'behaved,' princess?"

I let out a laugh and slipped away from him, grabbing my PJs and walking to my bathroom door. "Pff, never. Well, a few times you have. But overall . . ." I trailed off, grinning and laughing again. I gave him a coy smile over my shoulder as I stepped into my bathroom. "However . . . sometimes it's fun to misbehave . . ."

~ 3rd P.o.V ~

Jack gaped slightly as Skye shut the bathroom door behind her.

_Di-did she just . . . ?_

No matter how shocked and baffled he was, he couldn't deny that Skye had practically offered herself to him. In a teasing, slightly unclear way, but she did it all the same. I sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to sort his thoughts out.

_Holy crap . . . Was she being serious?_ he asked himself. _Or was she just teasing me again . . . ? Hmm . . . *chuckle* Well, one way to find out . . . _

He grinned as he rose from her bed, stripping off his shirt and then flopping down to lay on one side of her bed. With a glance, he could see the ice dragon bracelet he'd made for her as a Christmas gift. He lightly touched the choker she'd given him (which he'd hid under the collar of his shirt) and smiled.

"Man, I was blind back then," he murmured to himself.

Just then, Skye came out of the bathroom wearing a skull spaghetti strap top and matching PJ bottoms. The tattoos on her arms and collarbone were completely exposed, and he took a moment to admire them. The Celtic cross on her upper left arm had always intrigued him; he enjoyed mentally following the lines as they criss-crossed over each other and wove to and fro. The Asian dragon on her right forearm seemed to wrap around it protectively, its mouth open in a fierce roar.

But the dragon wings on her collarbone had caught his attention more times than he cared to admit, mainly because of how the design seemed to draw his eyes to her chest. Not that her outfits ever helped any to begin with.

He was brought out of his musings when the girl in question flopped down on the bed next to him, saying, "You wore it to the party . . ."

He mentally shook himself and looked up at her in confusion for a bit before it clicked. "Uh, yeah. Hid it under the shirt collar."

She gave him a tender smile that made him feel warm all over. "I'm glad . . . I'm sorry I didn't wear my bracelet," she said, frowning. "But I _did _wear it everyday while I traveled, at least," she added, brightening.

He smiled and then noticed her hair. "You hair . . . it got longer."

She twirled a few strands between her fingers. "Yeah; I've been thinking of getting it cut."

"Don't; it looks nice long," he said, taking a lock of it and bringing it to his lips.

She flushed and looked away, and he grinned. _I guess now would be a good time to see if she was serious before . . ._

"So, princess, Tooth told me that you learned a few things," he started casually. "Something about a dance from India?"

She looked at him with a smile. "Mhm! Padma taught me the basic steps of a traditional Indian dance. It was very fun. She also taught me how to properly swing my hips so I wouldn't get a cramp."

He bit back a devious smile. "Care to show me?"

She looked at him in surprise, then flushed a bit at the glint in his eyes. She smiled at him wryly and shook her head. "Nope~! If I do, you won't behave, Jacky boy."

He grinned and gently pulled her on top of him, mentally chuckling at her surprise at the sudden motion. "But didn't you say it can be fun to misbehave~?" he asked in a whisper.

Her breath hitched and she flushed. He could feel the heat coming off of her in waves, and he shivered lightly. She bit her lip and looked away.

"S-so what if I d-did?" she mumbled, her face turning a darker pink.

His breath caught in his throat. _Holy shit . . . . she WAS serious!_

"Well then . . . when you propose a challenge like that, who am I to back down?" he asked, mirroring her own words from earlier.

**_- - - - - - - - LIME STARTS HERE; IF YOU WANNA SKIP IT, GO AHEAD! ^_^ - - - - - - - -  
(You can just go to the next chapter, if you wanna) _**

~ Skye P.o.V ~

I turned my head to look down at him in surprise, then felt cold lips pressing against my own. I let out a muffled sound of surprise before moaning and kissing him in return. His chilled arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his equally chilled chest.

I shivered, feeling my nipples harden from both the contact itself and from the temperature. I broke away from the kiss and he moaned as I caught my breath.

"You're so warm, Skye," he breathed, running his hands down my back to my ass, gripping it lightly.

I gasped, jerking forward an inch or two. He gripped me tighter and I whimpered, burying my face in his neck. He let out a shuddering breath, then brought his hands to my upper arms, lifting me so I looked down at him.

"Skye . . . I . . . I want-" he started, cutting himself off with a blush, averting his heated eyes.

My eyes widened, and then I bit my lip. ". . . . J-just . . . . be gentle, 'kay . . . ?"

He looked at me in utter shock, as if he couldn't believe what I'd just said. ". . . A-are you sure?"

I nodded. "Y-yeah . . . . I . . . I love you, Jack."

The next thing I knew, I was being hugged tightly and kissed senseless. When he pulled back, my head was swimming.

"I love you, too," he breathed, smiling with joy.

I smiled back, but then I quickly gave him a devious grin. "So, Jacky boy . . . since this is a 'challenge' . . . when are you going to start?"

He picked up on my mood instantly, his frosty blue eyes narrowing a little as he gave me a coy grin. "You think you can handle it, princess?"

I smirked and pinned his hands on either side of his head. "Oh, believe me, if it's you, then definitely."

He flipped us over and switched our positions, this time pinning me down. He held both my hands above my head with one hand, while the other teasingly stroked the top hem of my shirt.

"Good, because it's only ever going to be me," he said, going down and kissing my neck.

For the rest of the early morning, Jack kissed me all over. ALL over . . . And when we finally joined together as one, it was like Paradise had opened it's gates. He was gentle, at least at first. But when I practically demanded that he not be so gentle . . . . he completely fulfilled that order, let me tell you~ . . .

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Heyyy~! Sorry for not updating in so long (_ _) I got an IMVU account, so I got caught up in it and stuff.

Originally, this was going to be a full-on lemon, but I have to admit . . . it was a bit hard writing one for them. All I could seem to do was lime stuff :\ GOMENASAI! TT~TT

I'm really sorry if y'all were expecting a lemon . . . But this was the most I could do, in all honesty. I guess deep down I didn't want to make it too detailed or anything like that. It just didn't seem to fit the story thus far, ya know?

Until next time! (which will be the last chappie)

~vampireXgirl13X


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